LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 
SANTA    CRUZ 


SANTA     CRUZ 


O 


Gift  of 
MARION    R.    WALKER 

in  memory  of  his  grandfather 

THE  HON.  MARION  CANNON 

M.C.  1892-94 


H 
X 
m 


HI 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES 


ON    THK 


LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 


RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON, 

(A  SENATOR   FROM    LOUISIANA,) 


DELIVERED    IN    THE 


SENATE  AND  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 


MARCH   i,  1893,  AND  APRIL  21,  1894. 


PUBLISHED  BV  ORDER  OK  CONGRESS. 


WASHINGTON : 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1894. 


Resolved  by  the  Senate  (the  House  of  Representatives  concurring),  That  there 
be  printed  of  the  eulogies  delivered  in  Congress  upon  the  Hon.  RANDALL 
LEE  GIBSON,  late  a  Senator  from  the  State  of  Louisiana,  8,000  copies,  of 
which  2,000  copies  shall  be  delivered  to  the  Senators  and  Representatives 
of  that  State;  and  of  the  remaining  number  2,000  copies  shall  be  for  the 
use  of  the  Senate  and  4,000  copies  for  the  use  of  the  House ;  and  of  the 
quota  of  the  Senators  and  Representatives  from  the  State  of  Louisiana  the 
Public  Printer  shall  set  aside  50  copies,  which  he  shall  have  bound  in  full 
morocco  with  gilt  edges,  the  same  to  be  delivered,  when  completed,  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased ;  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  hereby  directed 
to  have  engraved  and  printed,  at  as  early  a  date  as  practicable,  the  por- 
trait of  the  deceased  to  accompany  said  eulogies. 

Passed  the  Senate  May  8,1894. 

Passed  the  House  of  Representatives  May  9,  1894. 


tr 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 
Announcements  of  the  death  of  Senator  Gibson : 

In  the  Senate 5 

In  the  House  of  Representatives 8 

PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  SENATE. 

Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana 12 

Mr.  Wolcott,  of  Colorado 32 

Mr.  Gordon,  of  Georgia 35 

Mr.  Voorhees,  of  Indiana 37 

Mr.  Sherman,  of  Ohio 44 

,     Mr.  Mills,  of  Texas l 48 

Mr.  McPherson,  of  New  Jersey 52 

Mr.  Manderson,  of  Nebraska 56 

Mr.  Caffery,  of  Louisiana 60 

PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  HOUSE   OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 

Addrens  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana 68 

Mr.  Bland,  of  Missouri  87 

Mr.  Henderson,  of  Illinois 88 

Mr.  Boatner,  of  Louisiana 91 

Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Alabama 93 

Mr.  Breckinridge,  of  Arkansas 102 

Mr.  Blair,  of  New  Hampshire 105 

Mr.  Hooker,  of  Mississippi 110 

3 


ANNOUNCEMENTS  OF  THE  DEATH  OF  SENATOR  GIBSON. 


IN  THE   SENATE. 

MONDAY,  December  19,  1892. 

Rev.  J.  G.  BUTLER,  D.D.,  the  Chaplain  of  the  Senate,  offered 
the  following  prayer: 

Lord  God  Almighty,  Thou  art  the  dwelling  place  of  Thy 
people  in  all  generations.  From  everlasting  to  everlasting 
Thou  art  God. 

Look  in  mercy  upon  us  as  we  again  stand  in  the  shadow  of 
death  thrown  over  this  Chamber.  We  bless  Thee  for  the  pure, 
gentle,  faithful  life  of  Thy  servant,  our  departed  brother.  Sus- 
tain and  comfort  all  who  are  beret  t,  and  so  fill  with  Thy  Spirit 
our  hearts  that  day  by  day  we  may  walk  obediently,  and 
humbly,  and  prayerfully,  and  trustingly  before  God,  charita- 
bly, and  kindly,  and  faithfully  toward  each  other,  meeting 
every  day's  responsibility  in  Thy  fear  and  in  view  of  the 
account  we  shall  render  to  Thee. 

Hallow  to  us,  we  pray  Thee,  the  rest  and  labor  of  the  holy 
Sabbath  day.  Purify  our  hearts  by  the  indwelling  of  Thy 
Spirit.  Grant  victory  in  every  time  of  temptation,  and  help, 
that  the  truth  of  God  may  reign  in  us  and  rule  over  us,  guid- 
ing our  steps  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  and  of  peace. 

Regard  in  great  mercy  Thy  ser  vant  toward  whose  sick  bed 
so  many  eyes  and  hearts  are  now  turned.  We  thank  Thee  for 
his  long  and  useful  life.  If  it  please  Thee,  spare  his  life,  re- 


6          Announcements  of  the  death  of  Senator  Gibson. 

store  and  strengthen,  above  all  sustain  by  the  power  of  a  living 
faith  in  this  hour  of  trial,  and  givo  peace  to  him  and  to  his 
who  watch  so  tenderly  in  this  time  of  darkness. 

Guide  us  by  Thy  counsel.  Teach  us  heavenly  wisdom.  O 
God,  pity  us  amid  life's  infirmities  and  temptations  and  help 
us  to  meet  daily  responsibilities  in  the  fear  and  strength  of 
God  faithfully,  as  we  shall  wish  to  have  done  when  we  come 
to  the  end  of  our  earthly  pilgrimage. 

We  ask  these  mercies,  with  forgiveness,  aud  grace,  and  help, 
in  Jesus'  name.  Amen. 

The  Journal  of  the  proceedings  of  Thursday  last  was  read 
and  approved. 

DEATH   OF    SENATOR   GIBSON,    OF   LOUISIANA. 

Mr.  GORMAN.  Mr.  President,  at  the  request  of  the  Senator 
from  Louisiana  [Mr.  WHITE],  who  is  engaged  in  rendering 
affectionate  services  to  his  late  colleague,  it  is  made  my  pain- 
ful duty  to  announce  to  the  Senate  the  death  of  Hon.  BAND  ALL 
LEE  GIBSON,  the  senior  Senator  from  the  State  of  Louisiana. 
After  a  lingering  illness  he  expired  peacefully  at  Hot  Springs, 
in  Arkansas,  on  Thursday  last. 

I  can  not,  sir,  make  this  sad  announcement  without  express- 
ing something  of  the  sorrow  which  this  intelligence  has  brought 
to  the  Senate.  Senator  GIBSON  held  a  very  high  place  in  the 
esteem  and  affections  of  his  associates  on  this  floor. 

His  great  personal  worth  and  his  eminent  public  services 
had  made  their  impressions  on  our  hearts  and  judgments.  We 
feel  and  deplore  the  unspeakable  loss  which  the  Senate,  his 
State,  and  the  country  bear  in  his  death. 

His  inestimable  value  as  a  Senator  and  as  a  man  is  well 
known  to  all  of  us.  His  death  is  a  profound  affliction  to  us 
and  a  serious  bereavement  to  his  people  aud  the  country. 


Announcements  of  the  death  of  Senator  Gibson.          7 

He  was  a  great  and  good  man.  His  mental  faculties  and  his 
moral  qualities  were  of  a  very  high  order.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  his  love  for  Louisiana  had  no  limit,  and  that  his 
large  heart  embraced  in  its  patriotism  the  whole  Union. 

He  has  left  his  countrymen  the  example  of  a  useful,  honor- 
able, and  patriotic  life,  and  he  has  left  to  us,  his  survivors 
here,  the  memory  of  a  friendship  unalloyed  by  regret. 

Mr.  President,  in  behalf  of  the  absent  Senator  from  Louisi- 
ana [Mr.  WHITE],  I  submit  the  resolutions  which  I  send  to  the 
desk,  and  ask  their  adoption. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.  The  resolutions  will  be  read. 

The  Chief  Clerk  read  the  resolutions,  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  the  announce- 
ment of  the  death  of  the  Hon.  RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON,  late  a  Senator  from 
the  State  of  Louisiana. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  Senators  be  appointed  by  the  Presid- 
ing Officer,  to  join  such  committee  as  may  be  appointed  by  the  House  of 
Representatives,  to  attend  the  funeral  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  that  the 
necessary  expenses  attending  the  execution  of  this  order  be  paid  out  of 
the  contingent  fund  of  the  Senate. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the  House 
of  Representatives. 

The  resolutions  were  agreed  to  unanimously. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.  The  Chair  appoints  as  the  commit- 
tee to  represent  the  Senate,  provided  for  in  the  second  resolu- 
tion, the  Senator  from  Louisiana,  Mr.  WHITE;  the  Senator 
from  South  Carolina,  Mr.  BUTLER  ;  the  Senator  from  Georgia, 
Mr.  GORDON;  the  Senator  from  South  Dakota,  Mr.  PETTI- 
GREW,  and  the  Senator  from  Idaho,  Mr.  SHOUP. 

Mr.  GORMAN.  Mr.  President,  I  move,  as  a  further  mark  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased,  that  the  Senate  do  now 
adjourn. 

The  motion  was  agreed  to,  and  (at  12  o'clock  and  15  min- 
utes p.  m.)  the  Senate  adjourned  until  to-morrow,  Tuesday, 
December  20.  1892,  at  12  o'clock  m. 


8          Announcements  of  the  death  of  Senator  Gibson. 


IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


SATURDAY,  December  17, 1892. 

Mr.  MEYER.  Mr.  Speaker,  since  our  last  meeting  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  and  our  whole  country  have  suf- 
fered an  irreparable  loss,  and  it  becomes  my  painful  duty  to 
announce  to  this  House  the  death  of  Hon.  RANDALL  LEE 
GIBSON,  a  Senator  from  Louisiana,  which  occurred  on  Thurs- 
day last  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  after  a  prolonged  illness.  His 
remains  will  be  interred  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  he  was 
born,  and  where  his  earlier  years  were  passed  in  the  midst  of 
a  numerous  and  affectionate  kindred. 

For  many  years  a  conspicuous  member  of  this  body,  there 
are  many  of  his  former  colleagues  who  can  appreciate  the 
great  grief  this  loss  brings  to  his  family  and  the  personal 
bereavement  it  causes  to  his  friends. 

As  a  soldier,  a  scholar,  and  a  statesman — in  the  field,  on 
the  rostrum,  and  in  the  council  chamber — the  best  energies  of 
his  life  were  consecrated  to  his  State  and  to  his  country.  He 
loved  her  devotedly,  strove  to  serve  her  unselfishly,  and,  be- 
yond interests  of  family,  or  friends,  or  party,  made  her  welfare 
the  chief  object  of  his  desires. 

Occupying,  as  I  do,  the  seat  once  so  illustriously  held  by 
him,  I  share  in  the  pride  of  my  State  for  having  had  as  a  Rep- 
resentative in  this  honorable  House  and  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  one  so  high-toned,  so  spotless  as  RANDALL 
LEE  GIBSON,  and  the  luster  which  his  civic  virtues  reflected 
on  his  people  and  the  honor  which  his  public  career  conferred 
upon  his  whole  country  but  exceeded  his  earlier  services  as  a 
soldier,  battling  for  what  he  believed  to  be  the  right. 

At  the  proper  time,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  shall  ask  this  House  to 
set  apart  a  day,  as  is  its  custom,  to  be  devoted  to  the  portrayal 


Announcements  of  the  death  of  Senator  Gibson.          9 

of  his  lofty  character,  and  when  this  Chamber  will  resound 
with  eloquent  tributes  to  the  admirable  traits  and  eminent 
public  services  of  the  deceased  it  will  make  those  who  listen  the 
better,  it  will  afford  them  a  higher  conception  of  American 
manhood  and  American  statesmanship,  and  it  will  cause  them 
to  rejoice  that  attributes  so  noble,  qualities  so  pure  and  patri- 
otic, should  have  been  so  continuously  recognized  by  his  fel- 
low-citizens. I  send  to  the  Clerk's  desk  resolutions  for  which 
I  ask  immediate  adoption. 
The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  this  House  has  learned  with  profound  sorrow  of  the  death 
of  Hon.  RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON,  a  Senator  of  the  United  States  from  the 
State  of  Louisiana. 

Resolved,  That  the  Speaker  of  the  House  appoint  a  committee  of  eight 
members,  to  act  in  conjunction  with  such  committee  as  may  be  appointed 
by  the  Senate,  to  attend  the  burial. 

Resolved,  That,  as  a  further  tribute  and  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory 
of  the  deceased,  this  House  do  now  adjourn. 

The  question  being  taken,  the  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted. 

The  SPEAKER  announced  the  appointment  of  Mr.  BLANCH- 
ABD,  Mr.  ROBERTSON  of  Louisiana,  Mr.  PRICE,  Mr.  BRECKIN- 
RIDGE  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  ELLIOTT,  Mr.  CARUTH,  Mr.  HEN- 
DERSON of  Illinois,  and  Mr.  DALZELL  as  the  committee  on  the 
part  of  the  House  under  the  resolutions  just  adopted  j  and,  in 
accordance  with  the  concluding  .resolution,  the  House  (at  4 
o'clock  and  15  minutes)  adjourned. 


EULOGIES    IN    THE    SENATE. 


WEDNESDAY,  March  1,  1893. 

Mr.  WHITE.  Mr.  President,  I  submit  the  resolutions  which 
I  send  to  the  desk,  and  ask  that  they  be  read. 
The  PRESIDENT  pro  tempore.    The  resolutions  will  be  read. 
The  Secretary  read  the  resolutions,  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  of  the  death 
of  Hon.  EANDALL  LEE  GIBSON,  late  a  Senator  from  the  State  of  Louisiana, 
and  that  it  extends  to  his  afflicted  family  its  sincere  sympathy  in  their 
bereavement. 

Resolved  further,  That  as  an  additional  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory 
of  Senator  GIBSON  the  legislative  business  of  the  Senate  be  now  suspended 
in  order  that  his  associates  in  this  body  may  pay  a  tribute  to  his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  transmit  to  the  family  of  the  deceased 
certified  copies  of  these  resolutions,  with  statement  of  the  action  of  the 
Senate  thereon. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Senate  be  directed  to  communicate 
these  resolutions  to  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  testimonial  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased 

the  Senate  do  now  adjourn.  « 

11 


12  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  WHITE,  OF  LOUISIANA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  Iii  the  noble  and  beautiful  eulogy  delivered 
by  the  Senator  from  Maine  [Mr.  FRYE]  the  other  day  on  the 
late  Senator  Kenua,  he  said  that  he  thought  the  custom  which 
has  grown  up  in  this  body,  when  the  hand  of  death  strikes 
down  one  engaged  among  us  in  the  performance  of  public 
service,  of  putting  aside  a  day  in  order  to  make  up  the  record 
of  the  services  of  the  deceased  and  to  make  a  statement  of  the 
estimate  formed  of  him  by  his  colleagues,  had  it  in  something 
cold  and  something  perfunctory.  It  would  be  better,  he 
thought,  that  the  warm  expressions  from  the  heart  should 
respond  at  once  to  the  void  which  death  created. 

The  view,  sir,  struck  me  as  having  in  it  its  modicum  of  truth, 
but  only,  I  think,  a  half  truth.  Wherever  a  custom  has  taken 
being  in  a  body  like  this  and  has  endured  for  a  long  time,  it 
must  have  its  foundation  in  some  deep-seated  reason,  although 
such  reason  may  not  upon  the  surface  of  things  be  apparent. 
I  presume,  sir,  that  the  custom  by  which  an  interval  of  time  is 
allowed  to  elapse  before  ceremonies  like  these  we  commemo 
rate  to-day  are  had  results  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  desire 
and  object  to  prevent  the  public  record  which  was  to  be  made 
from  being  formed  under  the  dread  shadow  of  immediate  death, 
and  therefore  to  enable  a  wiser,  juster,  and  more  impartial 
estimate  to  be  put  upon  the  record  than  otherwise  would 
obtain. 

Sir,  if  this  be  the  origin  of  the  rule,  the  task  imposed  upon 
me  to-day  is  indeed  a  difficult  one.  As  the  colleague  and  lov- 
ing friend  of  the  deceased  Senator,  how,  sir,  can  I  lift  my  voice 
up  to  say  anything  that  contains  in  it  in  any  way  a  judgment 
or  an  opinion,  free  from  bias  and  uncontrolled  by  those  tender 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  13 

and  enduring  associations  which  created  and  maintained  that 
lasting  link  of  personal  friendship  between  us? 

Looking  back  to  my  boyhood,  I  can  recall  him  to  my  mind. 
Looking  back  to  my  early  manhood,  1  find  a  friendship 
formed,  growing  with  my  growth,  spreading  with  my  years, 
and  strengthening  as  every  day  went  by  in  the  depth  of  the 
attachment  formed  for  him  and  the  estimate  I  entertained  for 
the  high  and  noble  attributes  of  his  nature.  Despite  these 
facts,  sir,  which  may  obscure  my  judgment  and  crowd  the 
gateways  of  my  mind  so  full  of  tender  recollections,  I  shall 
endeavor  to  briefly  and  impartially  state  his  career,  the  moral 
which  it  illustrates,  and  the  example  which  it  sets. 

Sir,  Senator  GIBSON  suffered  no  adverse  fortune  in  his  early 
youth.  His  paternal  grandfather  came  of  Revolutionary  stock. 
Moving  from  Virginia  to  South  Carolina  and  then  from  South 
Carolina  to  Mississippi,  he  became  there  allied  by  marriage 
and  association  with  many  of  the  noblest  names  in  that  great 
Commonwealth.  His  father  married  early  in  life  in  Lexington, 
Ky.,  a  Miss  Louisiana  Hart.  She  came  from  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  families  of  the  many  noble  ones  which  have  illus- 
trated and  adorned  the  history  of  that  marvelous  State — the 
Shelbys,  the  Marshalls,  the  Prestons?  the  Breckinridges,  and 
others.  The  name  of  Louisiana  was  given  her  from  the  fact  that 
a  great  kinsman  at  just  about  the  time  of  her  birth  had  drafted 
and  introduced  in  this  body  the  resolution  which  consummated 
the  purpose  of  Thomas  Jefferson  in  acquiring  the  vast  territory 
of  Louisiana.  It  seems,  sir,  as  an  inspiration  of  the  providence 
of  God  that  she  upon  whom  was  thus  bestowed  the  name  of  the 
new  territory  was  to  become  the  mother  of  a  son  who  was  to 
shed  luster  upon  the  State  of  Louisiana,  was  to  lead  her  gallant 
and  heroic  sous  in  battle,  was  to  render  her  and  her  people  serv- 
ices in  these  Halls  priceless  beyond  measure,  and  in  the  per- 
formance of  other  public  duties  elsewhere. 


14  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

No  defect  of  early  education  was  his.  He  grew  upiii  Lexing- 
ton surrounded  by  the  refined  and  cultivated  atmosphere  which 
there  prevailed — an  atmosphere  the  intensity  of  which  may  be 
understood  when  it  is  considered  that  upon  it  was  shed  the  luster 
of  the  life  and  fame  of  the  great  commoner,  Henry  Clay.  Early 
in  his  youth  that  masterful  power  which  in  after  life  was  to 
dominate  and  direct  men  demonstrated  itself  among  his  youth- 
ful associates'.  He  became  the  captain  of  a  company  called  the 
Ashland  Guards,  which  was  intended  to  serve  as  the  escort  of 
Mr.  Clay. 

Shortly  after  his  marriage  the  father  of  Senator  GIBSON 
acquired  property  in  Louisiana  and  established  a  sugar  estate 
in  Terre  Bonne  Parish.  This  became  his  home,  and  thus  was 
begun  the  association  of  Senator  GIBSON  with  the  people  of 
that  State  whom  he  so  much  loved  and  served  so  well. 

Taking  his  primary  education  in  Terre  Bonne  and  in  Lexing- 
ton, his  collegiate  education  was  obtained  at  Yale  College.  That 
great  institution  of  learning  which  has  formed  so  many  splendid 
men  left  an  impress  upon  his  mind  and  his  character  which 
followed  him  to  the  end  of  his  career. 

At  college  the  same  qualities  which  in  later  manhood  shone 
out  in  his  character  with  a  brightness  the  full  extent  of  which 
was  known  to  few  men  until  they  came  in  intimate  contact 
with  him  made  him,  as  a  member  of  the  graduating  class — 
containing  some  of  the  brightest  names  in  the  record  of  our 
common  country,  Andrew  White  and  others — the  class  orator 
of  that  class. 

After  his  graduation  he  traveled  a  few  years  in  Europe. 
Returning  to  Louisiana,  he  studied  law  and  took  the  diploma 
of  the  Law  University  of  Louisiana.  But,  sir,  the  temper  of 
his  mind  was  not  cast  in  that  mold  which  likes  the  dry  and 
arduous  details  necessarily  attending  the  neophyte  in  the  legal 
profession.  That  era  in  the  South  was  the  period  of  flores- 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson,  15 

cence,  of  the  semipatriarchal  life  which  charmed  and  fascinated 
everybody.  Born  of  a  race  of  country  gentlemen,  passing  his 
boyhood  either  upon  the  rolling  hills  and  lovely  dales  of  the 
fair  State  of  Kentucky,  or  in  the  green  fields  and  waving  for- 
ests of  Louisiana,  it  was  natural  that  the  mind  of  young  GIB- 
SON should  have  turned  to  country  pursuits.  Under  these  in- 
fluences he  established  himself  on  a  sugar  plantation  with, 
the  idea  of  becoming  a  planter.  I  take  it,  sir,  that  the  early 
impression  made  upon  his  mind  by  his  youthful  surroundings 
had  not  been  effaced  when  he  made  this  choice  of  a  career. 
The  consideration  of  public  things,  the  discussion  of  public 
questions,  was  one  of  the  necessary  incidents  in  the  semipa- 
triarchal life  of  the  planter  of  the  Southern  country.  Doubt- 
less the  whisperings  of  public  duty  and  the  beckoning  ambi- 
tion of  public  service  rose  in  tho  mind  and  heart  of  young 
GIBSON  when  he  determined  to  give  himself  up  to  a  country 
life.  How  could  it  have  been  otherwise?  The  concentrated 
political  atmosphere  which  surrounded  Lexington,  Ky.,  when 
the  overshadowing  luster  of  the  genius  of  Clay  was  with  it  must 
necessarily  have  remained  with  him.  It  was  stamped  upon 
his  mind  at  a  time  when  his  impressions  were  plastic.  Early 
in  his  career  he  began  to  give  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this 
statement  by  taking  an  interest  in  public  affairs  and  by  direct- 
ing his  steps  along  the  path  which  led  to  the  performance  of 
public  duty. 

A  great  and  noble  career  doubtless,  sir,  would  have  at  once 
awaited  him  in  the  State  of  his  adoption  had  not  the  cloud  of 
war  arisen  to  mar  and  dispel  it.  The  storm  which  took  its 
origin  at  the  very  formation  of  our  Government  was  gathering 
over  the  land,  and  no  human  wisdom  and  no  human  foresight 
could  prevent  the  awful  tempest  of  blood,  ruin,  and  misery 
which  was  to  follow.  When  the  first  mutterings  of  that  storm 
began  to  be  heard,  young  GIBSON,  who  had  imbibed  a  national 


16  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

view  of  our  institutions  and  whose  mind  was  formed  under  the 
pressure  of  the  great  doctrines  taught  by  the  Whig  party,  of 
which  Mr.  Clay  was  the  masterful  exponent,  at  once  took  a 
stand  against  the  fatal  act  of  isolated  secession. 

But,  sir,  no  force  of  human  strength,  or  human  character,  or 
human  intellect  could  stem  the  resistless  current  which  was 
setting  then  as  the  result  of  forces  long  since  created.  The 
act  was  consummated.  The  reverberation  of  the  first  gun, 
echoing  from  Sumter,  called  a  million  men  to  arms.  Reason 
was  lost,  and  passion  alone  had  sway.  Feeling  that,  under  his 
conception  of  duty,  he  owed  his  allegiance  to  the  people  of  the 
State  of  his  adoption,  he  rai  ed  a  company  in  the  parish  in 
which  he  lived  and  tendered  it  for  defense. 

He  soon  passed  from  the  captaincy  of  a  company  to  the  colo- 
nelcy of  a  regiment.  Untrained  in  military  affairs,  cast  in  a 
mold  of  mind  as  foreign  to  the  performance  of  military  duty  as 
any  man  I  ever  knew,  the  great  qualities  which  God  had  given 
him  shown  out  in  his  military  career  as  they  shown  everywhere 
else,  and  he  passed  from  the  command  of  a  regiment  to  the 
command  of  a  brigade. 

His  regiment  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Western  army  and 
met  the  first  shock  of  battle  at  Shiloh.  There,  sir,  his  regi- 
ment, the  Thirteenth  Louisiana,  shed  a  beautiful  luster  of 
courage  and  heroism  upon  the  name  of  iny  State,  certainly 
never  surpassed.  But  I  need  not  go  into  detail.  In  all  the 
dread  conflicts  in  which  the  Western  army  was  engaged,  in 
the  campaign  in  Kentucky  which  led  to  the  bloody  fight  at 
Perryville,  in  the  campaign  which  caused  the  carnage  of  Mur- 
freesboro,  in  that  death-to-death  battle  which  poured  out  such 
rivers  of  blood  upon  the  field  of  Chickamauga,  in  the  memora- 
ble retreat  of  Johnston,  in  the  struggle  around  Atlanta — every- 
where, at  the  head  of  his  regiment  or  brigade,  the  civilian 
soldier  stood  in  the  forefront  of  battle  and  did  his  duty  with  a 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  17 

courage,  a  fidelity,  a  zeal,  and  a  heroism  which  no  language  of 
mine  can  fittingly  portray. 

I  thought,  sir,  as  I  looked  the  other  day  over  the  incidents 
of  his  military  career,  it  would  be  well,  not  only  for  his  own 
sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  those  noble  and  valiant  men  whom 
he  led,  that  I  should  put  upon  the  record  some  of  the  estimates 
entertained  of  him  and  them  by  the  chieftains  under  whom  he 
served. 

General  Dan.  Adams,  in  his  official  report  of  Perryville, 
recommended  GIBSON  for  promotion  "  for  skill  and  gallantry 
on  the  field  of  battle." 

General  Breckinridge,  in  his  report  of  Murfreesboro,  said: 
"General  GIBSON  discharged  his  duty  with  marked  courage 
and  skill." 

General  Clayton,  in  his  report  of  the  struggle  at  Atlanta, 
says: 

Brigadier-General  GIBSON,  seizing  the  colors  of  one  of  his  regiments, 
dashed  to  the  front  and  to  the  very  works  of  the  enemy.  This  gallant 
brigade  lost  one-half  of  its  members.  My  own  eyes  bore  witness  to  its 
splendid  conduct  from  the  beginning  to  the  close.  It  captured  the  guns 
of  the  enemy  and  captured  their  main  works  until  overwhelming  and 
increasing  numbers  forced  their  abandonment.  It  was  handled  with 
skill  and  fought  with  the  heroism  of  desperation. 

General  Stephen  D.  Lee  says  of  GIBSON'S  brigade: 

I  saw  them  around  Atlanta  and  in  Hood's  Nashville  campaign.  I  desig- 
nated GIBSON'S  brigade  to  cross  the  Tennessee  .River  in  open  boats  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy,  near  Florence,  Ala.,  and  a  more  gallant  crossing 
of  any  river  was  not  made  during  the  war.  At  Nashville,  when  Hood  was 
defeated  by  Thomas,  GIBSON'S  brigade  was  conspicuously  posted  on  the 
left  of  the  pike  near  Overton  Hill,  and  I  witnessed  their  driving  back, 
with  the  rest  of  Clayton's  division,  two  formidable  assaults  of  the  enemy. 

I  recollect,  near  dark,  riding  up  to  the  brigade,  near  a  battery,  and  try- 
ing to  seize  a  stand  of  colors  and  lead  the  brigade  against  the  enemy. 
The  color-bearer  refused  to  give  up  his  colors  and  was  sustained  by  his 
regiment.  I  found  it  was  the  color-bearer  of  the  Thirteenth  Louisiana. 

S.  Mis.  178 2 


18  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

It  was  GIBSON'S  Louisiana  brigade.  GIBSON  soon  appeared  at  iny  side, 
and  in  admiration  of  such  conduct  I  exclaimed :  "  GIBSON,  these  are  the 
best  men  I  ever  saw;  you  take  them  and  check  the  enoiny."  GIBSON  did 
take  them  and  did  check  the  enemy. 

Hood,  in  bis  Advance  and  Retreat,  speaking  of  the  retreat 
from  the  fatal  field  of  Franklin,  says: 

General  GIBSON,  who  evinced  conspicuous  gallantry  and  ability  in  the 
handling  of  his  troops,  succeeded,  in  concert  with  Clayton,  in  checking 
and  staying  the  most  dangerous  shock,  which  always  follows  immediately 
after  a  rout,  GIBSON'S  brigade  and  McKinzie's  battery  of  Fenner's  bat- 
talion acting  as  rear  guard  of  the  rear  guard. 

General  Breckinridge,  speaking  of  General  GIBSON  at  Chick- 
amauga,  said  that  he  led  his  forces  with  a  heroism  and  intel- 
ligence which  could  not  be  too  highly  praised. 

The  ability  which  GIBSON  displayed  as  a  military  commander 
led  to  his  assignment  to  a  separate  command  as  a  division 
commander  in  the  defense  of  Spanish  Fort  at  Mobile  Harbor, 
one  of  the  last  and  most  fateful  struggles  of  the  civil  war. 
The  estimate  made  of  him  then  in  this  line  of  duty  is  but  a 
repetition  of  the  opinions  which  I  have  read  of  the  great  cap- 
tains under  whom  he  previously  served. 

General  Andrews,  who  fought  upon  the  other  side,  in  his 
history  of  the  campaign  of  Mobile,  says: 

General  GIBSON  was  competent  and  active  and  inspired  his  troops  with 
enthusiasm. 

General  Taylor  asserts  in  his  Construction  and  Reconstruc- 
tion that  "  the  defense  of  Spanish  Fort  by  General  GIBSON 
was  one  of  the  best  achievements  of  the  war." 

Such,  sir,  was  his  military  career.     Ah,  who  that  recalls  him 
as  he  lived  in  these  Halls,  his  urbanity,  his  mildness,  his  gen 
tleness  and  consideration  for  others,  would  have  thought  of 
him  as  a  leader  in  war.     I  say,  sir,  it  is  a  record  of  which  any 
American  may  be  proud.     I  say,  sir,  it  is  a  record  which  ought 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  19 

to  make  every  American  doubly  proud,  not  only  from  the  fact 
that  it  exists,  but  from  the  further  fact  that  with  only  those 
few  years  lying  between  us  and  that  awful  struggle  I  am  able 
to  stand  in  my  place  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  and 
point  to  this  record  made  in  a  civil  strife  as  the  common  herit- 
age of  a  united  country,  as  an  indication  of  the  valor  and 
fidelity  to  du.ty  of  a  good  and  noble  American. 

Sir,  we  may  have  our  judgments  as  to  the  wisdom  of  men  in 
that  great  struggle.  Opinions  may,  as  they  doubtless  do, 
differ  as  to  the  cause  of  its  origin  and  as  to  the  motives  which 
impelled  those  who  brought  it  about.  I  am  fain,  however,  to 
believe,  as  the  assuaging  hand  of  time  comes  to  blot  out  these 
conditions,  and  as  the  necessities  weld  us  into  the  great  and 
harmonious  people  which  we  now  are,  and  which  I  hope,  and 
we  all  hope,  shall  continue  to  be  in  a  greater  and  greater 
degree  as  the  years  go  on,  I  am  sure  the  heart  of  the  American 
people  is  capable  of  recognizing  the  courage  and  heroism  of 
the  American  citizen  displayed  in  the  discharge  of  a  sacred 
duty  as  he  understood  his  duty  at  the  time. 

Returning  to  his  home  when  the  war  was  ended,  the  dream 
of  a  pastoral  life  which  had  inspired  the  heart  of  the  young 
man  was  necessarily  blighted  and  gone.  Misery  and  desola- 
tion and  ruin  of  war  had  laid  waste  the  fair  fields  upon  which 
he  had  expected  to  spend  a  part  of  the  energies  of  his  life.  In 
this  condition  he  did  as  so  many  others  did.  He  turned  his 
attention  to  that  profession  which  he  had  studied  rather  as  an 
ornament  than  as  a  practical  pursuit  in  life.  He  took  up  the 
practice  of  law  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 

I  recollect  it  well,  sir,  for  about  that  time,  or  a  year  or  so 
thereafter,  1  became  myself  a  law  student.  The  bar  to  which 
he  came  was  crowded  with  men  of  bright  and  dominant  intel- 
lects and  of  large  experience.  The  struggle  for  professional 
advancement  was  great.  He  soon  began  to  make  himself  felt, 


20  Address  of  Mr,  IVliite,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

and  business  came  to  him.  The  singular  fascination  which  he 
exercised  over  men  and  his  great  power  to  deal  with  them  was 
sensibly  observed  by  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him. 
While  these  attributes  did  not  make  him  a  technical  lawyer  in 
the  narrow  sense  of  that  term,  his  breadth  of  view  and  scope 
of  judgment  soon  made  his  opponents  at  the  bar  conscious  of 
the  fact  that  when  GIBSON  was  in  a  case  the  other  side  had  to 
be  careful  in  its  preparation. 

Degree  by  degree  the  sphere  of  his  professional  usefulness 
extended.  The  qualities  which  had  made  him  a  leader  in  war 
would  doubtless  also  ultimately  have  made  him  a  leader  in  the 
struggle  for  dominaucy  in  the  civil  profession  had  not  a  more 
alluring  and  enchanting  field  of  public  service  drawn  him  away 
from  legal  to  political  pursuits.  He  was  elected  to  the  Forty- 
third  Congress,  but  was  denied  a  seat.  He  was  elected  again 
to  the  Forty-fourth,  Forty-fifth,  Forty-sixth,  and  Forty-seventh, 
and  while  serving  in  the  Forty  sixth,  and  having  yet  a  term  to 
serve  in  the  Forty-seventh,  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  in 
1888,  and  was  reelected  for  another  term. 

I  shall  not,  sir,  in  the  brief  remarks  which  I  now  propose  to 
make,  attempt  to  analyze  his  career,  either  in  the  other  House 
of  Congress  or  in  this  body.  I  see  sitting  around  me  those 
who  have  grown  gray  in  the  public  service,  who  served  with 
him  years  ago  in  the  other  House,  and  who  were  with  him 
here  during  all  his  Senatorial  career.  They  can,  infinitely  bet- 
ter than  I,  estimate  his  power  and  the  steady  and  resolute 
advance  which  he  made  in  the  acquisition  of  influence  so  as  to 
enable  him  to  participate  in  the  direction  and  shaping  of  legis- 
lation. All  I  shall  briefly  do,  sir,  is  to  attempt  to  point  out 
what  I  conceive  to  be  the  salient  features  in  his  public  service 
and  in  the  character  of  his  work  as  illustrative  of  his  career 
here. 

The  first  thought  that  strikes  me  is  the  broad  and  ccmpre- 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  21 

hensive,  the  national  view  which  his  opinions  soon  assumed. 
Having  come  from  the  field  of  war,  and  having  witnessed  the 
awful  convulsions  to  which  the  country  had  been  subjected, 
his  mind  felt  the  necessity  in  the  termination  of  the  great 
issues  which  had  evoked  the  war  for  a  broader  and  safer 
national  life.  His  mind  was  responsive  to  the  whole  country  in 
every  great  national  question  which  presented  itself.  While 
he  set  his  heart  upon  serving  his  people  locally,  he  sought  at 
the  same  time  to  serve,  with  all  his  might  and  main,  the 
nation  as  a  whole  of  which  the  people  whom  he  represented 
were  but  a  component  part. 

Let  me  illustrate  it,  sir,  by  the  events  of  1877.  I  recollect 
when  that  crisis  came,  which  threatened  so  much  of  harm  to 
this  nation,  the  bold  and  manly  part  he  took  in  the  events 
which  led  to  its  assuagement.  During  the  canvass  which  had 
preceded  the  election  of  1877  Senator  GIBSON  had  been  a  warm 
supporter  and  friend  and  associate  of  Mr.  Tilden.  He  was 
close  to  Tilden.  When,  however,  the  great  controverted  ques- 
tion arose  as  to  the  result  of  the  election,  and  the  mutterings 
of  anarchy  were  heard  all  over  the  laud,  he  did  not  hesitate 
for  one  moment,  although  it  brought  some  odium  on  him  at 
home  and  abuse  in  many  other  directions. 
v  In  the  very  inception  of  that  unpleasant  episode  in  our  polit- 
ical life  he  lifted  his  voice  and  bent  his  energies  to  support  the 
creation  of  the  machinery  which  bridged  this  country  over  that 
controversy  and  led  the  ship  of  state  into  the  tranquil  waters 
of  constitutional  government,  preserved  without  anarchy  and 
without  turmoil. 

On  all  the  other  great  national  questions  the  trend  of  his 
character  was  in  the  same  direction.  I  recollect  during  the 
days  of  the  rag-money  craze,  when  the  minds  of  many  were 
led  astray  by  the  delusive  pressure  for  a  debased  currency,  he 
stood  firm  for  honest  "and  hard  money.  There  was  a  strong 


22  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

opinion  at  home  in  favor  of  the  greenback  heresy.  Indeed,  an 
almost  unanimous  resolution  passed  through  the  lower  house  of 
the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Louisiana  instructing  him  to 
vote  for  the  rag  money.  Despite  these  facts,  unostentatiously 
but  firmly  he  cast  his  votes  to  preserve  the  purity  and  value  of 
the  money  of  the  country.  There  are  those  on  this  floor  who 
served  with  him  during  nearly  the  whole  of  his  career  who 
have  said  to  me  since  his  death  that  their  estmate  of  him  was 
of  the  highest  character,  because  of  the  fact  that  his  views  and 
influence  had  always  been  exerted  for  that  which,  in  his  judg- 
ment, he  deemed  to  be  best  for  the  good  of  the  whole  country 
and  for  the  preservation  of  the  integrity  of  its  institutions. 

Ah,  sir,  if  this  was  the  relation  which  he  bore  to  this  Govern- 
ment in  these  Halls  from  a  national  point  of  view,  how  much 
more  valuable  and  priceless  were  the  services  which  he  rendered 
the  people  he  represented,  looked  at  from  the  point  of  view  of 
their  local  and  peculiar  interest.  When  he  came  to  Congress 
the  people  of  Louisiana  were  in  the  slough  of  despair  and  misery; 
their  liberties  gone,  the  shackles  of  a  debased  government  upon 
them.  That  government,  whilst  depriving  them  of  their  liber- 
ties, also  had  despoiled  and  was  despoiling  them  of  the  remnant 
of  property  which  war  had  left;  the  lamp  of  hope  had  burned 
out.  The  depression  of  the  war  had  been  followed  by  the 
despair  caused  by  a  debased  and  corrupt  government. 

Mr.  GIBSON,  as  a  Representative  from  Louisiana,  set  himself, 
along  with  his  colleagues,  to  the  task  of  relieving  this  situa- 
tion. Who  better  was  able  to  do  it  than  himself?  The  charm 
of  his  personality,  the  breadth  of  his  cultivation,  the  extent  of 
his  acquaintance,  the  singular  fascination  which  he  exercised 
over  men  caused  him  to  be,  as  it  were,  a  minister  between  the 
people  of  the  South  and  the  people  of  the  North.  The  difficulty 
was  to  obtain  a  hearing.  How  well  and  wisely  he  did  his  duty 
could  be  said  now  by  the  voices  of  those  on  this  floor  with  more 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  23 

knowledge,  with  more  power,  aiid  of  course  with  more  eloquence 
than  mine  could  say. 

When,  in  1877,  through  the  wise  and  just  action  of  that 
benevolent  man  who  has  passed  away  to  his  reward  during 
the  past  winter — I  speak  of  President  Hayes — when,  under  his 
wise  and  great  action,  the  arm  of  the  military  power  was  lifted 
from  the  Southern  people,  who  is  it  that  is  familiar  with  all  the 
events  which  led  up  to  that  conclusion  who  can  say  that  it  was 
not  the  pervading,  the  strong,  the  subtle  influence  of  GIBSON 
which  gradually  opened  the  minds  of  President  Hayes  and  his 
advisers  to  a  proper  conception  of  the  situation  of  the  South. 
And  this  led  to  the  relief  of  the  burdens  which  were  pressing 
to  destruction  people  not  only  in  Louisiana  but  of  the  entire 
South.  Sir,  from  the  lifting  of  those  burdens  every  good  gift 
which  the  people  of  Louisiana  have  since  enjoyed  has  in  a 
measure  come. 

Devoting  himself  thus  to  the  restoration  of  local  self-govern- 
ment, Senator  GIBSON  kept  a  watchful  eye  to  the  material 
interests  of  the  people  he  represented.  When  he  came  to  Con- 
gress, the  mouth  of  that  great  river,  the  mighty  artery  which 
t:ikes  the  commerce  from  all  the  West  and  floats  it  to  the  ocean, 
had  an  embargo  on  it  as  absolute  and  complete  as  could  be. 
For  years  efforts  had  been  made  to  remove  it.  GIBSON  con- 
ducted himself  with  consummate  skill  to  the  furtherance  of 
this  legislation. 

Whilst  military  engineers  and  others  were  resisting  the  proj- 
ect of  Eads,  GIBSON  began  at  once  with  a  tact  and  clearness 
and  adroitness  to  demonstrate  the  mightiness  of  the  project 
which  Eads  entertained  and  the  necessity  for  legislation  to 
assist  him.  By  his  efforts,  not  of  course  alone  by  his  efforts, 
but  largely  by  their  influence,  the  legislation  which  enabled 
Captain  Eads  to  carry  out  his  plans  became  law.  And  ever 
since  the  commerce  of  the  world,  floating  through  the  diseu- 


24  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

gorged  mouth  of  that  mighty  river,  has  blessed  the  people  of 
the  whole  valley  and  is  blessing  them  to-day.  I  am  sure  I  do 
not  overestimate  the  value  of  GIBSON'S  services  in  this 
particular. 

I  was  looking  some  days  ago  at  a  Life  of  Captain  Eads,  one 
of  the  greatest  geniuses,  I  think,  of  modern  American  life, 
reared  himself  in  humble  circumstances,  without  great  train- 
ing, but  endowed  by  the  providence  of  God  with  a  mind  the 
elasticity  and  clearness  of  which  I  have  never  known  sur- 
passed. When  years  were  gathering  on  him  and  he  was 
retiring  somewhat  from  the  work  of  active  life,  Senator  GIBSON 
wrote  him  a  letter,  or  addressed  to  some  friend  a  letter,  sug- 
gesting that  a  commemorative  statue  should  be  erected  to 
Captain  Eads  for  the  work  which  he  had  done  for  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi.  What  was  Capain  Eads's  reply?  I  have  it, 
sir,  in  a  letter  written  by  him  to  Senator  GIBSON.  It  shows 
how  great  minds  lift  themselves  up  above  the  mist  and  petti- 
ness of  things  low  into  the  region  of  things  supernal. 

Captain  Eads  said : 

With  respect  to  the  memorial  to  which  you  refer  as  likely  to  be  erected 
to  me  by  the  people  of  the  valley,  I  will  only  say  that  it  will  not  be  fitting 
or  complete  unless  it  shall  have  a  twin  monument  to  yourself  by  its  side. 
I  know  pretty  well  how  to  value  my  merits,  and  I  know  that  they  would 
have  accomplished  nothing  without  such  statesmanship  as  you  have  dis- 
played. I  have  studied  very  faithfully  the  laws  which  control  the  condi- 
tions of  inanimate  matter.  You  thoroughly  understand  the  more  subtle 
influences  that  control  the  actions  of  men.  You  are  so  ready  to  lose  sight 
of  yourself  and  make  others  believe  that  they  are  the  originators  of  your 
plans  that  you  will  rarely  fail  to  sway  senates  and  deliberative  bodies  to 
carry  out  and  support  your  measures.  In  my  opinion  no  memorial  to  com 
memorate  the  labors  in  behalf  of  the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi  River 
will  be  complete  unless  you  are  the  most  prominent  figure  comprising  it. 

When  the  work  of  the  jetties  was  completed,  the  bestowing 
of  such  an  inestimable  blessing  upon  the  commerce  of  the  val- 
ley, there  was  another  situation  imperatively  calling  for 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  25 

assuagement  and  improvement.  The  situation  was  the  condi- 
tion of  the  levees  on  the  Mississippi  Kiver.  The  principle 
which  Eads  had  applied  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  demon- 
strated the  possibility  of  applying  it  not  only  for  that  purpose, 
but  also  to  preventing  the  awful  devastation  which  the  annual 
floods  of  that  river  carried  to  the  fair  fields  along  its  banks. 

Through  several  sessions,  changing  the  form,  but  always 
pressing  with  unerring  certainty  to  the  great  end  which  was 
sought  to  be  accomplished,  the  mind  of  Senator  GIBSON  and 
the  minds  of  his  colleagues  succeeded  in  convincing  the  people 
of  the  United  States  that  there  was  a  necessary  intercommuni- 
cation or  interdependence,  as  is  the  undoubted  fact,  between 
the  channel  made  easy  and  navigable  and  the  protection  of 
the  banks  themselves.  The  result  of  that  great  work  and  the 
consequences  which  have  come  from  it,  the  legislation  which 
has  followed  in  may  Congresses,  is  to-day,  sir,  that  along  the 
banks  of  that  mighty  river  there  are  smiling  fields  and  happy 
homes  where  erstwhile  misery,  desolation,  and  ruin  prevailed, 
because  sheltered  and  protected  by  the  levee  work  which  GIB- 
SON and  his  colleagues  succeeded  in  having  accomplished. 

But,  in  my  opinion,  the  greatest  blessing  of  his  life  remained 
to  be  conferred  upon  the  people  whom  he  represented.  A 
venerable  gentleman,  living  in  retirement  in  Princeton,  N.  J., 
and  who  had  accumulated  the  foundations  of  his  fortune  in 
Louisiana,  formed  the  plan  of  giving  a  sum,  not  very  large, 
for  the  education  of  the  young  men  of  the  State  of  Louisiana. 
The  philanthropist  to  whom  I  refer  was  Mr.  Paul  Tulane. 
This  project  being  in  his  mind,  he  looked  around  for  a  coun- 
selor and  adviser  to  execute  it.  The  large  field  which  Senator 
GIBSON  filled  in  national  life,  the  fact  that  he  had  come  to  be 
considered  as  one  of  the  highest  and  best  exponents  of 
Southern  representation,  naturally  turned  Mr.  Tulane's  eyes 
to  him.  GIBSON  was  sent  for.  He  listened  to  the  purpose.  At 


26  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

once  associating  himself  with  Tulane's  thoughts,  he  conceived 
the  idea  of  opening  up  to  Mr.  Tulane's  mind  the  plan  of  an 
organization  of  a  great  university  in  the  State  of  Louisiana 
which  should  bestow  its  blessing  not  only  on  the  living,  but 
upon  millions  yet  unborn.  The  influence  which  he  exerted 
everywhere  and  upon  every  one  with  whom  he  came  in  contact 
soon  made  itself  felt  upon  Mr.  Tulane. 

Calling  to  his  assistance  friends  in  whom  he  had  confidence 
in  New  Orleans,  the  plans  were  soon  formed.  The  original 
conception  of  Mr.  Tulane  deepened  and  widened  until,  from 
the  elemental  thought,  a  mighty  river  of  benefaction  has  flowed 
out  upon  the  people  of  Louisiana.  There  has  been  developed, 
sir,  a  university  upon  broad  and  deep  and  wide  foundations, 
embracing  in  its  scope  everything  necessary  for  training  and 
development  of  the  highest  order. 

This  work,  whilst  of  course  not  due  to  Senator  GIBSON  alone, 
is,  in  a  large  measure,  as  to  its  scope,  the  result  of  his  influence 
and  his  advice.  In  the  last  years  of  his  life  his  mind  was  con- 
stantly preoccupied  with  this  university.  He  looked  upon  it, 
as  it  were,  as  a  child  of  his  thought.  His  mind  constantly  cast 
itself  over  the  future  and  formed  plans  for  its  development 
and  fructification  of  the  great  work  which  he  saw  was  before 
him.  Such  is  the  life,  sir;  such  its  accomplishments. 

Ah,  what  a  triumph  they  are  for  American  statesmanship ! 
What  lessons  they  teach  to  the  young  men  who  are  to  come 
on !  As  I  look  at  the  situation  of  our  country  to-day,  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  dominant  disease  afflicting  the  mind  of  our 
young  men  is  the  restless  thirst  for  wealth,  is  the  belief  that 
in  the  public  service  there  is  nothing  to  be  gained — is  the 
growing  conviction  that  neither  honor  nor  profit  nor  useful- 
ness is  found  in  dedicating  one's  life  to  public  duty.  All  this 
results  necessarily  in  the  Belittling  of  public  men  and  the 
minimizing  of  the  work  which  they  do. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  27 

If  the  true  aim  of  life  be,  sir.  to  fill  it  up  Math  the  greatest 
blessing  to  one's  kind,  what  life  could  more  completely  answer 
this  diseased  condition  of  thought  than  the  one  to  which  I 
have  referred?  What  mightier  object  lesson  could  be  given 
to  correct  this  evil  state  of  opinion  than  the  life  of  this  man 
which  I  have  thus  stated?  In  what  other  career  could  he 
have  had  such  a  wide  field  of  usefulness,  affording  him  an 
ampler  scope  for  the  accomplishment  of  good  to  his  kind,  than 
that  public  career  which  he  led? 

Sir,  there  is  not  a  steamship  beating  along  the  ocean  with  a 
cargo  of  Western  corn  that  does  not  recite  the  triumph  of  his 
accomplishments  for  the  American  people.  There  is  not  a  field 
smiling  in  that  fertile  valley  or  a  home  blessed  by  happiness 
there  which  does  n$)t  say:  a  Behold,  this  is  in  a  large  measure 
the  result  of  his  handiwork !"  The  youth  educated  in  the  uni- 
versity which  he  helped  to  found,  which  he  loved  so  well,  have 
already  begun  to  mingle  with  society  arid  to  leaven  and 
improve  it.  They  furnish  living  examples  of  how  he  was  able 
to  do  good.  The  thousands  which  are  to  come  after,  long  after 
all  who  are  here  to-day  shall  have  sunk  into  the  silence  of  the 
grave,  as  they  look  back  and  appreciate  the  benefits  which  his 
labor  bestowed,  will  associate  his  name  with  their  great  bene- 
factor, Paul  Tulane,  and  rise  up  and  call  them  blessed  forever. 

Mr.  President,  I  shall  not  detain  the  Senate  much  longer. 
I  shall  endeavor  simply  to  state  the  dominant  characteristics 
of  his  character  by  which  he  was  enabled  to  do  the  good  which 
I  have  thus  feebly  described.  I  should  say,  sir,  that  the  two 
great  distinctive  characteristics  of  Senator  GIBSON,  which  in 
themselves  seem  apparently  antagonistic,  but  which,  when 
comprehended  with  a  deeper  vision,  blend  and  melt  themselves 
in  each  other  to  make  up  the  harmonious  whole  which  was 
his,  were  will  and  gentleness  combined — will  to  do  where  he 
saw  a  work  before  him  to  be  done;  gentleness  to  draw  around 


28  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

him  the  kindness  and  affection  of  those  with  whom  he  dealt, 
and  thus  lead  them  to  aid  and  cooperate  with  him  in  the  per- 
formance of  the  woi^k  which  he  had  undertaken. 

With  these  qualities  was  associated  an  almost  intuitive  per- 
ception of  the  character  of  men,  a  singular  faculty  for  ana- 
lyzing their  motives,  for  touching  the  mainspring  of  good  in 
them,  for  making  everyone  feel  that  he  was  a  part  and  parcel 
of  the  great  battle  which  was  to  be  fought,  and  was  to  bear  a 
full  share  of  the  rewards  which  were  to  come  from  the  victory 
gained.  The  mightiness  of  his  will  power  is  demonstrated  by 
the  fact,  known  only  in  a  measurable  way,  but  known  thor- 
oughly to  those  who  were  intimately  acquainted  with  him. 

The  fact  is  that  the  great  work  of  his  lijp  was  accomplished 
whilst  physical  pain,  physical  disorder,  and  weakness  were  ever 
knocking  at  the  door  of  his  being  and  threatening  to  submit 
him  to  the  dread  ordeal  of  death.  Sir,  he  rose  above  it  all. 
In  him  the  power  of  mind  put  out  its  masterful  hand  upon  the 
resisting  matter,  and  behold  the  result  shining  forth  in  the 
accomplishments  of  his  life  which  I  have  endeavored  to  portray 
in  the  feeble  words  I  have  uttered. 

The  tenderness  of  his  affections  is  shown  by  an  incident  which 
occurred  in  the  last  days  of  his  life.  A  friend  proposed  to  visit 
Europe  and  asked  me  for  letters  of  introduction  to  the  repre- 
sentatives of  this  Government  abroad  in  some  of  the  European 
capitals.  He  desired  that  these  letters  should  be  not  only  from 
myself,  but  from  Senator  GIBSON  also.  Complying  with  the 
request,  I  gave  him  the  letters  which  he  desired  me  to  give,  and 
prepared  the  letters  which  he  desired  Senator  GIBSON  to  give. 
Senator  GIBSON  was  then  at  Hot  Springs,  afflicted  with  the 
malady  which  caused  his  death.  I  inclosed  the  letters  to  him, 
stating  that  I  had  prepared  them  because  I  presumed  that  it 
would  be  too  much  trouble  for  him  to  write  them,  and  requested 
him  to  sign  them  and  return  them  to  me.  After  the  lapse  of 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  29 

some  days  the  letters  were  returned.  He  was  in  his  last  ill- 
ness. The  signature  affixed  to  them  was  hardly  discernible. 
One  of  the  letters  which  I  prepared  was  addressed  to  a  distin- 
guished gentleman,  a  classmate  at  Yale  of  Senator  GIBSON'S. 
Though  the  mind  was  weak,  the  will  was  strong  and  the  affec- 
tion undimiuished.  When  he  reached  this  letter  and  affixed 
his  trembling  signature  to  it  the  pen  traced  below  the  faltering 
signature  an  endearing  and  tender  message  of  affection  to  the 
one  to  whom  the  letter  was  addressed.  The  lapse  of  years 
and  the  fast  approaching  presence  of  death  itself  had  not 
been  able  to  obliterate  from  his  mind  the  tender  recollections 
of  those  college  days,  when  so  many  ties  of  aifection  were 
formed. 

The  end  of  life  drew  near  to  him,  sir,  but  death  did  not 
come  to  him  suddenly.  It  came  by  slow  approaches.  For 
many  years  before  his  death  he  had  felt  a  consciousness 
that  at  any  moment  the  dread  summons  might  come.  I  have 
often  heard  him  express  the  thought.  With  this  thought  domi- 
nant in  his  mind  and  present  to  him,  looking  over  the  field  of 
life,  he  naturally  turned  to  the  end  of  all  things  and  the  mighty 
shadow  of  the  hereafter  which  was  to  cast  itself  upon  him.  I 
recollect,  sir,  during  the  last  session  of  Congress,  going  one 
Sunday  morning  to  his  library  and  finding  him  sitting  alone — 
for  he  was  largely  alone  in  the  last  years  of  his  life.  The 
inscrutable  wisdom  of  the  providence  of  God  in  sending 
him  many  afflictions  had  sent  him  the  last  and  supreme  one  of 
taking  from  him,  some  years  before  his  death,  that  gentle  being 
who  blessed  and  graced  him,  the  sweetest,  the  tenderest,  and 
the  loveliest  wife  I  ever  knew.  I  found  him  alone,  and  on  his 
knee  was  a  book.  I  took  up  the  book  and  said :  "  General,  what 
are  you  reading?"  He  replied:  " It  is  the  Psalms."  This  led 
us  to  talk  of  the  hereafter,  of  the  great  mystery  of  human  life. 
"Ah,"  said  he,  "as  life  goes  on,  and  I  feel  that  perhaps  only  a 


30  Address  of  Mr.  White,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

few  months  or  years  are  left  me,  my  mind  is  turning-  to  thoughts 
of  this  nature." 

Again  he  said:  "I  have  reached  the  conclusion  that  outside 
of  the  broad  principles  of  religion  there  is  no  hope  for  mortals 
here  below  or  hereafter."  Thanks  be  to  the  mercy  of  God,  sir, 
for  this  consoling  reflection,  for  it  leads  the  mind  to  see  and  to 
know  that,  as  the  Angel  of  Death  came  to  bear  him  from  the 
,  land  of  Time  to  the  laud  of  Eternity,  he  passed  fortified  and 
blessed  by  the  consolation  of  a  faith  in  the  infinite  mercy  and 
wisdom  of  God. 

Sir,  it  was  my  privilege,  as  the  chairman  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  pay  the  last  respect  to  his  memory,  to  be  present 
at  his  funeral.  As  I  listened  in  the  church  at  Lexington  to 
the  beautiful  words  of  a  venerable  priest,  calling  attention  to 
the  evidences  of  immortality,  it  filled  my  heart  with  hope  and 
with  consolation.  We  carried  him  from  the  church  on  a  bleak 
and  wintry  day  to  that  beautiful  cemetery  on  the  outskirts  of 
Lexington  where  rest  the  ashes  of  Clay,  and  where  gathered 
unto  their  fathers  are  so  many  noble  spirits  of  the  many 
noble  men  of  that  great  and  noble  Commonwealth,  Kentucky. 
Standing  in  the  cemetery,  with  the  bleak  north  wind  blowing 
and  the  leafless  branches  waving  over  the  new-made  grave, 
with  a  company  of  cadets  from  the  Military  University  of  Ken- 
tucky drawn  up  upon  a  knoll  above  the  grave,  I  thought  what 
a  happy  fate  was  Senator  GIBSON'S.  He  was  brought  back  to 
the  soil  of  his  nativity,  beaten  and  worn,  it  may  be,  by  the 
struggle  of  life,  but  not  defeated,  for  he  came  back  with  the 
oblation  of  a  life  full  of  great  things  done  and  nobly  done,  of 
duty  well  performed. 

Standing,  sir,  iu  silence  by  the  open  grave,  with  so  many  of 
the  valiant  aud  warm  hearted  people  of  Lexington  around, 
listening  to  the  grizzled  Confederates  as  they  recited  their 
prayers  and  dropped  laurels  upon  his  coffin,  it  seemed  to  me 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  31 

that,  whilst  the  situation  was  full  of  grief,  it  yet  was  sug- 
gestive of  and  instinctive  with  hope  of  everlasting  joy  and 
happiness.  The  clouds  which  darkened  the  sky  above  us  had 
the  sunshine  behind  them;  the  snow  which  was  falling  from 
them  was  destined  when  the  sunshine  came,  as  come  it  would, 
to  be  caught  up  and  carried  by  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun 
back  to  the  heavens  from  which  it  came.  The  trees,  sir,  were 
bare,  but  I  thought  that  soon  the  warm  breath  of  spring  would 
come  to  take  them  in  its  loving  embrace,  and  they,  too,  would 
bloom  and  blossom  with  a  new  and  beautiful  life. 

This  may  be  a  trite  but  it  is  a  consoling  suggestion,  sir,  of 
the  bloom  and  blossom  of  that  immortal  life  which  I  pray  and 
believe  is  to  be  given  us  all  in  the  world  beyond.  But,  sir, 
there  came  to  me  another  consoling  reflection.  Whilst  it  was 
certain  that  all  this  renewal  of  life  of  inanimate  nature  would 
come,  what  was  it  which  was  to  bring  the  laughing  life  upon 
the  barren  .bough  f  Whence  was  it  to  come  f  It  was  to  come, 
sir,  as  a  result  of  the  mighty  conservation  of  energy,  that  great 
law  by  which  nature  provides  for  the  throwing  off  of  the  use- 
less and  the  dross,  and  the  conservation  for  fructuation  there- 
after of  the  strength  and  beauty  of  existence. 

May  we  not  feel  that  it  was  so  with  the  colleague  whom  we 
laid  to  rest  in  his  mother  earth  ?  Holding  up  his  life  well  done, 
and  all  the  good  deeds  in  it,  may  we  not  feel  sure  that,  passing 
from  life  into  immortality,  not  the  immortality  of  paganism  or 
the  more  illusory  immortality  of  a  sublimated  pantheism,  but 
into  that  blissful  hope  of  immortality  born  of  the  faith  of  Chris- 
tianity, he  carried  to  his  account  all  the  good  deeds  of  his  life. 
•'Their  works  do  follow  them." 

Thinking  thus,  sir,  there  came  to  my  mind  those  w7ords  of 
ineffable  consolation,  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God." 


32  Address  of  Mr.  Wolcott,  of  Colorado,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  WOLCOTT,  OF  COLORADO. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  There  is  a  kinship  among  men  who  have  a 
common  alma  mater.  It  is  intangible,  vague;  is  not  dependent 
on  earlier  ac  quaintauce  or  similarity  of  pursuits.  It  is  born 
of  the  common  impulse  and  aspirations  with  which  a  univer- 
sity inspires  her  sons,  and  is  recognized  in  some  subtle  fashion 
as  a  brotherhood,  always  of  the  mind,  sometimes  of  the  heart. 
And  it  was  probably  because,  years  after  his  graduation  from 
Yale,  I,  too,  had  for  a  time  drawn  inspiration  from  that  fountain 
of  learning,  that  Senator  GIBSON  met  me  when  I  came  here  a 
stranger  and  made  me  know  him  for  a  friend. 

He  was  of  that  glorious  class  of  1853,  whose  members  have 
adorned  every  profession  and  added  strength  and  luster  to 
the  judiciary,  to  cabinets,  to  Congress,  the  press,  aud  to  human 
effort  in  countless  directions  in  this  generation  of  men.  Of 
them  all  none  wielded  wider  or  better  influence  than  GIBSON; 
none  was  so  much  loved. 

The  impress  of  his  university  was  strong  upon  him.  Sur- 
rounded by  classmates  and  college  friends  at  our  annual 
reunions,  he  reveled  in  the  recollection  of  his  college  days. 
Devoting  largely  of  his  time  and  effort  to  the  university  of  his 
adopted  State,  the  administration  of  the  Peabody  fund  and 
of  the  Smithsonian,  of  which  he  was  a  regent,  he  everywhere 
gave  token  of  the  belief  he  cherished  that  education  was  the 
leaven  which  should  lift  this  people  to  the  truest  appreciation 
of  the  value  of  republican  institutions — a  belief  which  his  col- 
lege had  inspired,  and  the  fruit  of  her  teaching. 

The  generation  now  in  its  full  manhood  is  the  first  since  the 
foundation  of  the  Republic  to  see  only  a  free  people  within 
the  limits  of  our  broad  domain.  To  the  added  incentive  which 
freedom  has  brought  is  due  much  of  the  vast  progress  in  arts 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  33 

aiid  sciences  and  in  civilisation  which  has  marked  the  last 
twenty  years.  These  are  glorious  days,  but  in  nothing  so 
glorious  or  instructive  or  majestic  as  that  in  them  there  is 
permitted  to  our  vision  and  understanding  that  to  which  all 
history  affords  no  parallel,  and  which  to  coming  generations 
will  never  be  wholly  comprehensible. 

We  have  witnessed  citizens  of  the  Republic,  who  took  up 
arms  against  it  and  sought  unsuccessfully  to  compass  its 
division  and  overthrow,  come  back  into  the  Union,  take  part 
in  its  government,  intrusted  with  a  large  share  in  the  shaping 
of  its  policy,  animated  only  by  lofty  and  patriotic  devotion  to 
its  welfare,  and  representing  communities  which  breathe  only 
loyalty  and  love  for  our  reunited  country.  BAND  ALL  GIBSON 
was  of  these — a  noble  exemplar  of  the  type.  His  path  was 
marked  for  him  by  his  duty  as  he  saw  it,  and,  dwelling  not  on 
old  differences,  it  is  blessed  to  remember  that  the  flag  his  boy- 
hood's eyes  first  saw  unfurled  was  the  flag  he  loved  when  those 
eyes  closed  in  death. 

He  must  have  had  consummate  political  ability,  for  the 
politics  of  his  State  have  been  always  in  ferment;  but  we  saw 
nothing  of  that  side  of  him.  We  saw  only  the  calm,  quiet 
repose,  the  delightful,  high-bred  urbanity.  He  had  the  quali- 
ties of  a  statesman;  but  he  had  more,  he  had  that  which 
charmed;  and  this  charm  and  the  personal  influence  of  his 
pure  life  brought  him  added  strength.  Alive  to  the  interests 
of  his  section,  he  told  eloquently  of  the  devastation  the  Mis- 
sissippi had  wrought,  and  the  doubts  which  caution  raised  as  to 
legality  were  swept  away,  and  Congress  gave  him  the  help  his 
people  needed.  And  during  the  struggle  over  the  election 
bill,  sometimes  called  the  force  bill,  his  words  took  double 
force  from  the  fact  that  no  man  knew  him  who  did  not  know 
also  that  his  high  soul  would  never  stoop  to  injure  the  poorest 
black  man  who  toiled  on  a  Louisiana  plantation. 
S.  Mis.  178 3 


34  Address  of  Mr.  Wolcott,  of  Colorado,  on  the 

He  had  unvarying  courtesy  and  fine  simplicity  of  manner, 
coupled  with  firmness,  which  was  none  the  weaker  because  it 
was  uno  btrusive.  He  was  a  citizen  of  the  world,  but  that  which 
soils  never  touched  him.  His  thoughts  turned  always  toward 
kiudl  iness.  Once,  when  he  spoke  to  me  of  Csesar,  whom  he 
greatly  admired,  he  dwelt  with  emphasis  on  the  strength  and 
warmth  of  Cesar's  friendships,  and  how,  when  he  was  stricken 
down,  he  thought  not  of  escape,  but  only  to  cover  his  face  that 
he  might  not  witness  the  treachery  of  his  friend. 

Senator  GIBSON  always  recalled  to  me,  in  person  and  in  char- 
acter, Colonel  Newcome.  You  remember  the  touching  lines  of 
Thackeray  which  tell  of  his  passing  away.  "At  the  usual 
evening  hour  the  chapel  bell  began  to  toll,  and  Thomas  New- 
come's  hands  outside  the  bed  feebly  beat  time.  And  just  as 
the  last  bell  struck  a  peculiar  sweet  smile  shone  over  his  face, 
and  he  lifted  up  his  head  a  little,  and  quickly  said  '  Adsum ! ' 
and  fell  back.  It  was  the  word  we  used  at  school  when  names 
were  called ;  and  lo,  he,  whose  heart  was  as  that  of  a  little 
child,  had  answered  to  his  name  and  stood  in  the  presence  of 
The  Master."  I  have  shrunk  from  learning  about  Senator 
GIBSON'S  last  days,  for  pain  and  he  had  long  known  each  other, 
and  I  fear  he  suffered  much ;  but  we  may  know  that  he  died 
as  he  had  lived,  fearlessly  and  uncomplainingly,  as  became  so 
true  and  gallant  and  brave  a  heart. 

He  has  traveled  tLe  way  of  all  men  born  of  woman,  the  great 
souls  and  the  little.  "  One  event  happeneth  to  them  all,"  and 
from  none  has  yet  come  a  voice  our  ears  can  hear.  If  there  be 
somewhere  souls  of  men  who  have  lived,  he  sits  in  goodly  com- 
pany, with  the  truest  and  the  best.  If  that  which  was  GIBSON 
now  lies  in  the  earth,  returned  to  our  common  mother,  he  will 
yet  live  in  the  higher  and  purer  thoughts  and  nobler  endeavor 
of  his  fellow-men,  towards  which  his  blameless  life  was  both 
the  incentive  and  the  example. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  GORDON,  OF  GEORGIA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  Eulogies,  whether  of  the  living  or  dead,, 
are  to  be  commended  so  far  only  as  they  are  merited  and  true- 
No  criticism  is  intended  of  that  custom  which  converts  the 
grave  into  a  sort  of  "Holy  of  Holies,"  beyond  whose  barred 
portals  the  Spirit  of  Detraction  shall  not  pass.  That  the  ani- 
mosities engendered  by  the  conflicts  of  a  lifetime  shall  all  be 
buried  with  the  dead  is  the  authoritative  mandate  of  universal 
humanity;  and  yet  loyalty  to  the  living,  especially  to  those 
whose  characters  are  still  unformed,  forbids  indiscriminate 
praises,  after  death,  of  the  man  who  did  not  merit  them  while 
living. 

That  venerable  law,  consecrated  by  the  enlightened  senti- 
ment of  ages,  which  forbids  that  evil  shall  be  spoken  of  the 
dead,  is  ennobling  charity,  God-like  and  beautiful,  even  in  its 
blindness;  but,  Mr.  President,  it  is  far  more  God-like  and  beau- 
tiful to  live  a  life  which  requires  neither  the  embellishing 
touch  of  charity  to  guild  its  virtues,  nor  the  shroud  and  coffin 
to  conceal  its  deformities — a  life  which  may  be  eulogized,  not 
simply  because  it  is  ended,  but  because  it  was  worthily  spent. 

Such  a  life  was  that  of  RANDALL,  LEE  GIBSON.  It  was 
begun  in  that  portion  of  Kentucky  which  is  unique  in  it& 
beauty,  exceptional  in  its  industrial  developments,  and  inspir- 
ing in  its  surroundings  and  associations.  His  character 
received  its  tone  and  vigor  and  coloring  on  a  Southern  plan- 
tation and  under  the  molding  influences  of  that  inherited 
institution  which  for  a  century  made  of  the  Southern  people 
a  peculiar  one  in  their  conspicuous  isolation,  which  subjected 
them  to  constant  and  perhaps  natural  misconstruction,  and 
which  at  last  involved  them  in  bloody  war;  an  institution 


36  Address  of  Mr.  Gordon,  of  Georgia,  on  the 

which  (whatever  else  may  be  said,  of  it)  has  left  as  its  lasting 
landmarks  a  long  line  of  heroic  figures,  who  with  marked  indi- 
viduality, with  great  intellectual  vigor,  with  acute  sensibilities 
and  sterling  integrity  have  won  a  title  to  the  gratitude  of 
posterity  because  of  their  services  to  the  people  and  the 
Republic. 

General  GIBSON'S  life  and  character  formed  one  of  these 
great  landmarks,  and  was  the  legitimate  outgrowth  of  this 
peculiar  civilization. 

That  character  was  both  strong  and  symmetrical.  When 
I  say  that  General  GIBSON  was  brave  I  would  not  be  under- 
stood as  affirming  merely  that  he  possessed  that  order  of  cour- 
age which  characterizes  the  true  soldier  of  every  age.  This  he 
exhibited  in  battle  to  a  degree  which  made  him  conspicuous, 
even  in  an  army  whose  intrepidity  has  not  been  excelled  in 
the  annals  of  war.  But  I  allude  in  this  connection  to  that 
nobler  courage  which  enabled  him  to  follow  without  trepida- 
tion the  lead  of  his  own  commanding  sense  of  duty  unswerved 
by  the  apprehension  of  personal  loss. 

He  was  a  general  in  the  Confederate  army,  brave,  knightly, 
and  true;  and  he  was  equally  true  to  all  the  obligations 
imposed  by  the  failure  of  the  Confederate  cause.  None 
who  knew  him  ever  doubted  the  extent  or  depth  of  his  sincere 
loyalty  to  the  restored  union  of  the  States  and  to  all  the  muni- 
ments, limitations,  rights,  and  powers  of  the  American  Con- 
stitution. 

He  was  a  man  of  intellect,  of  careful  study,  and  of  rare 
acquirements.  He  was  possessed  of  all  the  manly  virtues; 
and  yet  his  nature  was  one  of  singular  delicacy  and  of  almost 
perennial  sweetness.  His  native  gifts,  his  extensive  acquire- 
ments, his  knightly  spirit  and  courtly  manner  made  him  the 
fit  representative  here  and  everywhere  of  a  great  and  cul- 
tured people. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson,  37 

He  was  an  honest  man.  I  do  not  mean  to  assert  simply  that 
his  personal  integrity  never  bent  before  temptation  nor  was 
ever  sullied  by  the  faintest  stain.  All  this;  but  far  more.  His 
was  of  that  most  exalted  type  of  honesty  which  is  at  once  the 
strength  and  ornament  of  the  soul,  which  enshrines  justice  as 
a  religion  and  enthrones  truth  as  a  divinity. 

When  such  a  life  goes  out  it  leaves,  like  the  setting  sun, 
radiance  behind  it,  which  does  not,  however,  fade  with  the 
passing  day,  but  which,  though  mellowed  and  softened  by 
the  shadows  of  death,  is  still,  a  beacon  guiding  us  to  a  better 
life  here  and  to  the  higher  and  nobler  one  beyond. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  VOORHEES,  OF  INDIANA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT:  Grief  and  sorrow  remain  with  the  living; 
peace  and  rest  go  with  the  dead.  The  tortured  brow,  the  tear- 
stained  eye,  the  heart  of  anguish,  the  wail  of  woe,  the  lonely, 
sleepless  vigil;  the  despairing  outlook  on  each  new  breaking 
day ;  all  these  things  belong  to  the  precincts  of  time,  and  not 
to  those  who  have  been  laid  down  to  sleep  in  the  embrace  of 
their  mother  earth.  The  relations  between  the  living  and  the 
dead,  and  the  loss  and  gain  to  each,  have  taxed  the  anxious 
questioning  spirit  of  all  the  ages  and  of  every  race. 

At  every  step  of  the  skeleton  foot  of  death  come  also  the 
well-known  scenes,  and  the  unsolved  mysteries  of  the  eldest  as 
well  as  of  the  latest  born  generations.  With  every  visitation 
of  the  glass  and  scythe,  the  same  strained,  startled  look  and 
terrified  vigilance  are  to  be  seen  bending  in  impotent  love  and 
tears  over  the  dying  as  in  all  the  centuries  of  the  past.  That 
quick,  swift,  high  look  of  vivid,  joyous  recognition  which 
comes  so  often  as  a  glimpse  of  another  world  into  the  faces  of 


38  Address  of  Mr.  Voorhees,  of  Indiana,  on  the 

the  pure  and  Justin  their  passing  hour,  is  still  to  be  seen  as  in 
the  days  of  old,  when  the  heavens  were  opened  and  angels 
appeared  to  the  children  of  men,  and  with  unaided  reason  we 
can  know  no  more,  we  can  go  no  farther. 

We  yearn  to  penetrate  the  future  with  the  beloved  ones  who 
are  torn  from  our  clinging  arms ;  we  long  to  lift  the  veil  of 
mystery  which  hides  them  from  our  embrace;  we  knock  at  the 
tomb  and  would  wrench  its  iron  bars  apart  to  keep  unbroken 
the  fond  relations  of  time  and  sense.  What  sad  heart  has  not 
in  some  desolate  hour  cried  out : 

Oh,  wanderer  in  unknown  lands,  what  cheer? 

How  dost  thou  fare  on  thy  mysterious  way? 

What  strange  light  breaks  upon  thy  distant  day, 
Yet  leaves  me  lonely  in  the  darkness  here? 

Oh,  bide  no  longer  in  that  far-off  sphere, 
Though  all  heaven's  cohorts  should  thy  footsteps  stay ; 
Break  through  their  splendid,  militant  array, 

And  answer  to  my  call,  O  dead  and  dear! 

I  shall  not  fear  thee,  howsoe'er  thou  come ; 

Thy  coldness  will  not  chill,  though  death  is  cold; 

A  touch  and  I  shall  know  thee,  or  a  breath ; 
Speak  the  old,  well-known  language,  or  be  dumb; 
Only  come  back !     Be  near  me  as  of  old, 
So  thou  and  I  shall  triumph  over  Death ! 

All  is  in  vain.  Hollow  echoes,  like  dismal,  unmeaning  sounds 
from  dark,  untenanted  caves  of  earth,  respond  to  our  intense 
and  constant  calls  so  long  as  we  are  guided  by  no  other  inspi- 
ration than  our  own. 

But  yesterday  the  gifted,  graceful,  accomplished,  and  beloved 
Senator  from  Louisiana  stood  in  the  pride  and  beauty  of  his 
manhood  here  in  our  midst.  In  this  small  body  of  less  than  a 
hundred  men  composing  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  his 
was  a  personality  of  high  and  marked  distinction. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  39 

The  charm  of  his  presence  still  lingers  in  this  great  Hall. 
The  unaffected  dignity  of  his  bearing,  the  sweet  courtesy  of  his 
manner,  the  eloquence  of  his  tongue,  his  winning  smile,  the 
warm  grasp  of  his  hand,  will  never  pass  from  the  memory  of 
those  who  knew  him  best.  All  our  relations  to  him  while 
living  were  of  the  most  elevated,  affectionate,  and  ennobling 
character.  What  are  our  relations  to  him  now  f  Can  it  be 
that  they  are  all  broken,  shattered,  dissevered,  and  forever 
lost,  never  to  be  resumed  nor  restored  in  a  more  permanent 
life  than  this? 

Can  it  be  that  in  the  brief  space  of  our  separation  he  has 
gone  from  us  as  far  as  the  generations  who  perished  before  the 
flood  and  in  the  morning  years  of  creation?  The  ties  that 
bound  us  to  Keuna,  to  Barbour,  Beck,  Logan,  Conkling,  Car- 
penter, David  Davis,  Hendricks,  McDonald,  Blaine,  and  others 
who  might  be  named,  are  they  all  hopelessly  sundered,  not 
only  here  in  the  cold  and  wintry  day  of  life,  but  also  in  the 
immortal  summer  beyond? 

Sir,  tokens  of  honor  and  ceremonial  tributes  to  the  dead  are 
evidences  paid  by  human  instinct  as  well  as  by  religious  faith 
that  the  relations  of  life  are  not  destroyed  by  death.  The 
pomp  and  pageantry  of  martial  array,  the  swelling  funeral 
dirge,  and  the  parting  volley  over  the  dead  soldier  carry  with 
them  the  love  of  his  comrades,  not  merely  for  his  memory,  but 
for  him  personally  in  the  new  existence  he  has  assumed.  The 
high  pealing  notes  of  the  anthem  and  the  lofty  eloquence  of  the 
orator  over  the  mortal  remains  of  the  honored  statesman,  the 
eminent  ecclesiastic,  or  other  public  benefactor  are  not  inspired 
by  the  cold  clay  there  lying  in  state,  nor  alone  by  the  memory 
of  glorious  earthly  achievements,  but  in  far  higher  degree  by 
the  feeling  that  the  great  liberated  soul  still  lives  and  may  be 
known  by  us  again  in  the  future. 

And  so,  too,  it  is  with  the  humblest  mourners  who  bedew  the 


40  Address  of  Mr.  Voorhees,  of  Indiana,  on  the 

graves  of  their  loved  ones-  with  tears  and  strew  their  peaceful 
resting  places  with  flowers.  The  mother,  the  father,  the  son, 
the  daughter,  the  brother,  the  sister,  all  kindreds,  are  sus- 
tained, soothed,  and  upheld  in  their  bereavements  by  a  natu- 
ral as  well  as  by  a  religious  faith  that  the  living  and  the  dead 
are  not  lost  to  each  other. 

Sir,  the  biographical  sketch  of  the  Senator  from  Louisiana, 
proper  to  such  an  occasion  as  this,  has  been  spoken  by  others ; 
the  leading  incidents  of  his  brilliant  career  have  been  given, 
and  but  little,  if  anything,  remains  to  be  said  except  what  may 
be  suggested  by  his  personal  characteristics.  In  the  whole 
course  of  my  life  I  have  not  known  a  more  attractive,  consid- 
erate gentleman  than  RANDALL  L.  GIBSON.  Our  relations 
were  those  of  an  intimate,  confiding  friendship.  We  never 
met  nor  parted  without  a  mutual  recognition  of  this  pleasing 
fact.  We  sometimes,  too,  traced  the  blood  that  flowed  in  our 
veins  back  into  the  veins  of  ancestral  kindred,  and  greatly 
enjoyed  the  idea  that  we  were  clansmen  from  "  the  Blue-grass 
Lands,"  though  now  in  exile,  and  meeting  here  from  other 
States. 

General  GIBSON  was  born  in  Woodford  County,  Ky.,  sixty 
years  ago  last  September,  and  his  early  life  was  spent  and 
forme  d,  as  it  were,  in  a  camp  of  chivalry.  Men  of  the  highest 
note  and  distinction  appeared  to  his  youthful  gaze  every  day 
in  the  lists  of  the  tournament.  In  the  courts,  at  the  hustings, 
in  legislative  halls,  and  wherever  else  the  people  or  their  rep- 
resentatives were  assembled,  there  the  genius  and  the  gallantry 
of  Clay,  Bowman,  Crittenden,  the  Marshalls,  the  Breckinridges, 
an  d  others  of  the  first  magnitude  displayed  themselves  in  pro- 
fusion and  stamped  their  influence  on. rising  generations. 

From  the  days  of  Booue  and  of  Harrod  to  the  present  hour, 
whether  in  peace  or  in  war,  Kentucky  has  been  the  high  school 
of  eloquence,  statesmanship,  and  courage;  and  never  from  her 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  41 

portals  went  forth  a  nobler  son  or  a  truer  type  of  her  culture, 
as  well  as  of  her  native  graces,  than  the  Senator  from  Louisi- 
ana, who  was  carried  back  on  the  19th  of  last  December  and 
laid  down  at  Lexington  to  rest  forever  in  her  loving  bosom. 
In  that  more  than  royal  Necropolis,  in  that  city  of  the  famous 
dead,  by  the  side  of  Breckinridge  and  Beck,  after  life's  fitful 
fever,  he  sleeps  well. 

General  GIBSON  was  an  educated  man  in  the  fullest  and  best 
sense.  He  was  a  student  in  the  schools  of  his  native  and  of 
his  adopted  State,  and  graduated  with  honor  at  Yale.  He  was 
a  traveler  in  foreign  countries,  and  enriched  his  mind  by  an 
intelligent  observation  of  their  inhabitants  and  the  methods 
of  their  governments.  His  natural  gifts  were  brilliant,  and 
his  acquirements  were  extensive  and  versatile.  His  interest 
in  the  various  and  widespread  branches  of  learning  is  shown 
by  the  numerous  employments  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  connection  with  great  institutions  and  important  move- 
ments for  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  and  the  promotion  of 
the  sciences. 

He  was  president  of  the  board  of  administrators  of  the  Tu- 
laue  University  of  Louisiana,  one  of  the  administrators  of  the 
Howard  Memorial  Library  of  New  Orleans,  a  Eegent  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  a  trustee  of  the  Peabody  Education 
Fund,  and  he  gave  his  earnest,  active  attention  to  the  duties 
of  each  one  of  these  important  trusts. 

During  the  eight  years  of  his  distinguished  service  in  the 
House  and  almost  ten  years  in  the  Senate  he  fulfilled  with  con- 
spicuous ability  and  fidelity  every  duty  devolved  upon  a  Mem- 
ber or  a  Senator  in  Congress,  and  found  time  besides  to  per- 
manently associate  his  name  with  the  highest  and  most  pow- 
erful agencies  in  the  cause  of  universal  education.  He  was 
not  a  loiterer  in  life's  vineyard;  he  slept  not  on  his  post;  he 
toiled  forward  and  pushed  onward  to  the  end,  with  his  face  to 


42  Address  of  Mr.  Voorhees,  of  Indiana,  on  the 

the  opening  dawn  and  spreading  light  of  a  more  glorious 
future  for  his  country  and  for  the  great  family  of  man. 

But  still  other  distinctions  than  those  of  the  schools,  the 
universities,  the  courts,  and  the  political  arena  came  to  the 
late  Senator  from  Louisiana  in  his  early  life.  Standing  upon 
the  inviting  threshold  of  his  peculiarly  promising  career,  at  28 
years  of  age  he  heard  the  cannon's  opening  roar  in  that  dread 
conflict  between  the  sections  of  a.  common  country  which  was 
to  exorcise  forever  the  spirit  and  the  cause  of  sectionalism  and 
to  wipe  out  a  mutual  misfortune.  He  stepped  at  once  into  the 
ranks  of  those  with  whom  his  honor  and  his  life  were  cast,  and 
with  purposes  as  pure  and  courage  as  serene  as  ever  animated 
a  soldier's  breast  he  fought  out  his  side  of  the  mighty  issue, 
and  saw  at  last,  according  to  the  immutable  decrees  of  Almighty 
God,  the  banner  of  the  Lost  Cause  droop  and  fall,  never  to  be 
lifted  up  or  unfurled  again. 

Whether  at  the  head  of  his  company  or  leading  a  regiment, 
whether  putting  his  brigade  into  action  or  commanding  a  divi- 
sion on  the  bloody  Held,  it  was  plain  to  all  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  the  war  that  General  GIBSON  was  possessed  in 
an  eminent  degree  of  the  highest  qualities  of  a  great  soldier. 
This  fact  needs  no  other  evidence  than  his  rapid  rise  from  civil 
life,  without  military  education,  to  high  and  successful  com- 
mands in  the  midst  of  a  warlike  people  at  a  most  warlike 
period,  and  in  competition  with  the  pride  and  training  of  West 
Point,  freshly  resigned  from  the  old  United  States  Army. 

Obedient  without  question  or  murmur  to  his  superiors  in 
rank;  gentle  and  gracious,  though  decisive;  quick  and  firm 
in  command,  he  was  a  model  soldier  in  one  of  the  severest  and 
most  exacting  wars  in  the  world's  history.  He  was  the  Sir 
Philip  Sidney  of  his  day.  When  that  more  than  princely 
Englishman,  governor  of  Flushing  and  general  of  horse  at  32 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  43 

years  of  age,  waived  his  dying  thirst  on  the  stricken  field  of 
Zutphen  to  a  private  soldier  whose  need  seemed  greater  than 
his  own,  his  lofty  and  generous  soul  bloomed  out  in  an  act  of 
self- sacrificing,  chivalric  courtesy  with  which  the  world  has 
been  illuminated  for  more  than  three  hundred  years. 

In  all  the  elements  which  composed  his  nature,  in  the  refine- 
ment of  his  cultivation,  in  his  unselfish  love  for  his  fellow- men, 
and  in  his  modest  silence  in  regard  to  his  own  merits  or  suffer- 
ings, the  Senator  from  Louisiana,  whose  death  we  mourn,  was 
on  an  easy  level  with  the  dying  British  hero,  had  the  occasion 
called. 

Of  General  GIBSON'S  long,  useful,  and  distinguished  services 
in  civil  life  it  is  needless  here  and  now  to  speak.  They  are 
indelibly  written  in  the  archives  of  his  country,  and  there  they 
will  remain  while  American  history  endures. 

Many  of  her  gifted  sons,  both  native  and  adopted,  has  Louis- 
iana furnished  to  the  service  of  the  Eepublic,  but  none  with 
purer  fame  or  a  brighter,  stronger  record  for  the  public  good 
than  the  statesman,  the  soldier,  the  gentleman  who  has  just 
crossed  over  the  river  out  of  our  sight.  He  will  return  no 
more  to  the  great,  historic  Commonwealth  through  which  the 
current  of  the  mighty  Mississippi  throbs  its  way  into  the 
ocean;  he  will  never  again  revisit  the  land  of  the  magnolia, 
the  cypress,  and  the  palm,  nor  walk  the  loved  and  familiar 
streets  of  the  Crescent  City ;  but  the  memory  of  his  noble  life, 
full  of  good  deeds  and  crowned  by  a  Christian  faith,  will  remain 
forever  fresh  and  green  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  whom  he 
served  with  faithful,  intense  devotion  from  the  morning  to  the 
evening  of  his  sojourn  upon  earth. 

Sir,  the  repeated  and  rapid  visitations  of  death  in  this  Cham- 
ber would  wreathe  it  in  perpetual  gloom,  festoon  its  walls 
unceasingly  with  funeral  crape,  and  appall  the  boldest,  bravest 


44  Address  of  Mr.  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  on  the 

of  its  members,  were  it  not  that  we  are  sustained,  as  was  our 
late  associate  in  his  dying  hour,  by  the  assurance  so  well  told 
by  an  old  English  writer : 

The  more  we  sink  into  the  infirmities  of  age  the  nearer  we  are  to  immortal 
youth.  All  people  are  young  in  the  other  world.  That  state  is  an  eternal 
spring,  ever  fresh  and  flourishing.  To  pass  from  midnight  into  noon  on 
the  sudden,  to  be  decrepit  one  minute  and  all  spirit  and  activity  the  next, 
must  be  a  desirable  change.  To  call  this  dying  is  an  abuse  of  language. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  SHERMAN,  OF   OHIO. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  Never  before  in  any  period  of  my  public 
service  have  we  been  so  frequently  called  to  mourn  the  death 
of  our  associates.  Here  in  this  Senate  Chamber,  in  the  Hall 
of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives,  and  in  the  supreme  judicial 
tribunal  of  our  country,  seats  have  recently  been  made  vacant 
and  draped  in  mourning.  Many  of  the  most  brilliant  and  dis- 
tinguished actors  in  the  great  events  of  our  time  have,  within 
a  brief  period,  met  the  inevitable  fate  that  awaits  us  all.  It  is 
fitting,  even  in  the  hurry  of  the  closing  days  of  the  session, 
that  we  should  pause  a  while  in  our  public  duties  to  place  on 
record  our  appreciation  of  the  character  and  services  of  our 
departed  associates.  In  the  presence  of  death  the  ties  of 
friendship  become  cherished  memories.  The  contention  of 
opposing  opinions  is  forgotten,  and  with  charity  and  loving 
kindness  we,  the  survivors,  holding  our  own  lives  by  a  feeble 
tenure,  gather  here  to  speak  words  of  tenderness,  generosity, 
and  hope. 

No  member  of  the  Senate  among  the  living  or  the  dead  was 
more  free  from  the  bitterness  of  personal  and  political  strife 
than  KANDAL.L  LEE  GIBSON.  I  do  not  recall  a  single  phrase 
or  word  uttered  by  him  that  could  wound  the  feelings  of  any 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  45 

of  his  fellow-Senators.  Always  a  gentleman,  he  instinctively 
observed  the  courtesy  and  kindness  due  to  liis  associates,  how- 
ever much  he  might  differ  with  them  in  opinion.  He  was 
favored  in  early  life  with  exceptional  opportunities  for  educa- 
tion, and  improved  them  wisely.  He  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege with  high  honor,  and  in  due  time  received  his  diploma 
from  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Louisiana.  He 
then  had  the  great  advantage  of  three  years  of  study  and 
travel  in  Europe. 

This  training  did  not,  as  sometimes  is  the  case,  excite  in 
General  GIBSON  egotism,  pride,  or  selfishness,  or  a  fondness 
for  the  institutions,  fashions,  or  dress  of  foreign  countries  in 
preference  to  those  of  his  own.  He  was  in  every  sense  an 
American,  genial,  cordial,  and  considerate  in  his  manner;  plain 
and  simple  in  his  dress;  without  a  shade  of  ostentation. 

His  birth  in  Kentucky  and  his  lifelong  residence  in  Louisiana 
naturally  carried  him  into  the  Confederate  service.  There  he 
exhibited  the  qualities  of  a  good  soldier ;  brave,  attentive  to 
duty,  obedient  to  orders.  He  won  distinction  on  many  of  the 
great  battlefields  of  the  civil  war.  He  rose  from  the  ranks  to 
the  command  of  a  division. 

We  have  come  to  regard  this  fierce  and  sanguinary  struggle 
as  an  inheritance  from  our  fathers,  growing  out  of  an  honest 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  framework  of  our  Government. 
Poor  human  nature  could  provide  no  arbitrator  to  settle  this 
contention,  but  now  that  it  has  been  settled  by  a  sacrifice  of 
life  and  treasure  almost  unexampled  in  human  history,  it  can 
be  truly  said  that  the  result  is  heartily  acquiesced  in,  and  that 
no  slumbering  fires  can  rise  from  the  ashes  of  the  civil  war  to 
disturb  the  unity,  integrity,  and  power  of  this  great  .Republic. 
I  know  that  this  was  the  conviction  of  General  GIBSON. 

All  that  he  has  said  and  done  since  the  close  of  the  war  is 
in  harmony  with  the  opinions  of  Washington  and  Marshall? 


46  Address  of  Mr.  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  on  the 

that  our  country  is  an  indestructible  union  of  all  the  people 
of  a  great  nation  living  in  forty-four  separate  States  in  har- 
monious union,  each  State  possessed  of  all  the  powers  of  an 
independent  government  except  those  granted  to  the  General 
Government  or  prohibited  to  the  States.  This  compound  sys- 
tem of  government  is  likened  to  the  solar  system,  one  sun  im- 
parting strength,  order,  and  safety  to  its  circling  planets,  each 
revolving  in  its  orbit  and  caring  for  the  life,  education,  and 
happiness  of  its  people.  In  this  way  only  can  a  vast  region  of 
diversified  employments  and  productions  and  varied  interests 
be  bound  together  in  a  homogeneous  whole,  insuring  protection 
to  all  against  foreign  powers  and  home  rule  to  each  part.  In 
this  Senate  we  are  the  representatives  of  local  interests,  but 
bound  to  consider  them  in  subordination  to  the  good  of  the 
country  at  large.  In  the  performance  of  these  duties  General 
GIBSON  was  a  faithful  Representative  and  Senator.  He  was 
able  to  render  to  the  people  of  Louisiana  the  most  valuable 
services,  especially  in  the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
but  he  was  also  conservative  in  all  the  great  questions  that 
affected  our  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  our  national  cur- 
rency, and  the  development  and  protection  of  our  national  in- 
dustries. 

The  services  of  General  GIBSON  as  a  Representative  and 
Senator  from  Louisiana  can  more  fitly  be  stated  by  his  col- 
league and  his  successor.  My  respect  for  his  memory  and  my 
sincere  sorrow  for  his  death  are  founded  upon  my  knowledge 
and  appreciation  of  his  character  as  a  man,  the  purity  of  his 
life,  the  charm  of  his  social  intercourse,  and  his  devotion  to 
his  wife  and  children. 

My  personal  acquaintance  with  him  commenced  when  he  was 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  I  an  executive 
officer.  We  lived  in  adjoining  houses  and  were  neighbors  in 
the  best  sense  of  that  word  for  several  years.  Our  families 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  47 

had  constant  and  familiar  intercourse.  Our  lines  of  political 
action  were  far  apart,  but  this  did  not  interrupt  in  the  slight- 
est degree  the  interchange  of  thought  and  feeling  between  us. 
He  was  well  informed  and  had  clear  opinions  upon  almost 
every  question  of  science,  ethics,  history,  and  politics.  He 
was  modest  in  expressing  his  views,  but  he  always  imparted 
information  and  was  on  the  side  of  law,  order,  justice,  purity, 
and  honor. 

I  never  heard  him  say  anything  that  might  not  be  repeated 
in  the  family  circle,  or  that  would  excite  the  reproaches  of  re- 
ligious men  and  women.  He  was  a  man  of  liberal  and  enlight- 
ened views,  kind  and  generous,  well  educated,  not  only  in  the 
learning  of  the  schools,  but  in  all  the  varied  knowledge  that 
comes  to  a  careful  student;  an  habitual  reader,  an  observant 
traveler,  a  good  lawyer,  blessed  also  with  ample  means  and  a 
happy  home,  with  a  family  devoted  to  him. 

It  is  his  home  life,  rather  than  his  life  as  a  soldier,  a  Repre- 
sentative, or  a  Senator,  that  I  wish  to  recall  and  present  in 
this  brief  tribute  to  his  memory.  If  he  could  speak  to  us  from 
the  grave,  it  would  not  be  of  the  pride  and  circumstance  of 
war,  or  the  intellectual  struggle  of  debate,  but  of  his  wife  aud 
children,  of  his  personal  friends,  of  his  companionship  with 
books,  and  his  tranquil  happiness  of  home.  The  loss  of  his 
wife  was  a  deep  affliction  to  him.  May  we  not  hope  that  in 
the  immortal  life  promised  by  our  Christian  faith,  the  pro- 
found belief  of  humanity  from  the  earliest  ages,  that  which  we 
believe  in  but  can  not  prove,  the  spirit  of  Senator  GIBSON  will 
be  found  worthy  of  a  place  among  the  spirits  of  those  who  in 
this  life  have  been  honorable,  true,  and  faithful  to  their  honest 
convictions  of  duty. 


48  Address  of  Mr.  Mills,  of  Texas,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  MILLS,  OF  TEXAS, 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  Tlie  distinguished  Senator  whose  recent 
loss  the  State  of  Louisiana  and  the  whole  country  mourns  was 
a  conspicuous  figure  in  American  history  for  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century.  Four  years  of  that  time  he  was  a  prominent 
commander  in  the  armies  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  by 
cool  and  steady  courage  and  unerring  judgment  in  field  and 
council  he  continually  rose  in  the  esteem  of  the  government, 
the  armies,  and  the  people,  till  at  the  close  of  hostilities  he  was 
one  of  a  cluster  of  bright  stars  that  illuminated  the  Southern 
skies. 

In  every  position  in  which  he  was  placed  he  measured  up  to 
the  full  standard  of  all  its  requirements,  however  arduous,  dif- 
ficult, or  dangerous  the  duties  which  it  exacted.  He  had  what 
is  not  the  common  heritage  of  all  men  when  in  the  presence  of 
great  responsibilities  and  great  peril — a  calm,  imperturbable 
confidence  in  himself.  He  rested  with  perfect  repose  upon  the 
convictions  of  his  own  judgment.  He  never  reached  a  conclu- 
sion by  assault,  but  always  by  the  slow  approaches  of  his  own 
reason.  When  his  resolution  was  reached,  if  to  attain  what  it 
required  the  forlorn  hope  was  to  be  led,  no  one  rode  at  its 
front  with  steadier  nerve  than  he.  As  he  appeared  to  me  his 
mental  and  physical  constitution  was  destitute  of  enthusiasm. 
In  all  the  amenities  of  social  life  he  displayed  many  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  French,  who  constituted  a  large  part  of 
the  population  of  his  State,  but  as  a  soldier  he  had  none  of 
that  quality  which  the  French  call  elan,  and  which  we  would 
call  impetuosity. 

He  had  more  of  the  dogged  stubbornness  of  the  Scotch  than 
of  the  French,  and  on  the  field  was  a  MacDonald  rather  than 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.          .  49 

a  Murat.  He  moved  along  the  lines  of  life  in  war  and  peace 
as  he  was  attracted  and  drawn  by  the  cold  convictions  of  duty. 
The  alarm  of  a  tire  bell  at  night  would  not  make  his  eyes  glow 
with  unusual  light  or  his  blood  flow  with  a  quickened  pace. 
In  an  emergency  of  any  kind  the  first  questions  that  arose  in 
his  mind  were :  What  can  I  do  ?  What  should  I  do  ?  Having 
solved  them,  he  would  proceed  to  do  what  his  judgment  dic- 
tated, and  in  executing  his  resolution  he  would  bring  into 
active  exertion  all  the  resources  of  his  mind  and  body. 

In  open  war  in  the  field  some  commanders  of  equal  courage 
and  intelligence  will  achieve  greater  success  in  defending, 
while  others  will  win  greater  success  in  assailing.  General 
GIBSON  was  one  of  the  former  class.  Enthusiasm  and  even 
reckless  audacity  are  often  invaluable  in  the  offensive.  But 
they  were  qualities  he  did  not  possess  and  could  not  command. 
He  had  that  other  quality  so  conspicuous  in  the  English 
troops,  and  which  Macaulay  says  gave  its  highest  exhibition 
"  in  the  closing  hours  of  a  disastrous  and  murderous  day." 
He  had  stubborn  courage,  will  power,  dogged  pertinacity,  and 
self-reliance. 

He  would  have  been  a  great  brigade  or  division  commander 
under  Stonewall  Jackson,  but  as  a  corps  commander  he  never 
would  have  attempted  what  Jackson  accomplished.  Had  he 
been  in  command  of  the  Federal  troops  in  the  valley  of  Vir- 
ginia his  camp  would  never  have  been  surprised  and  stormed 
by  Early,  nor  would  he  ever  have  rallied  and  united  his  broken 
and  routed  columns  and  led  them  to  victory  as  Sheridan  did. 
His  mental  constitution  was  cast  in  a  mold  very  much  like 
that  of  General  Pat  Cleburne.  Cleburne  was  an  Irishman 
utterly  destitute  of  that  impulsiveness  so  characteristic  of 
his  people.  He  had  neither  the  vivacity,  the  wit,  nor  the 
humor  of  an  Irishman.  He  was  as  complete  a  stranger  to 
enthusiasm  as  he  was  to  physical  and  moral  fear.  He  was 
S.  Mis.  178 4 


50  Address  of  Mr.  Mills,  of  Texas,  on  the 

always  calm  and  thoroughly  master  of  himself  and  of  his 
situation.  No  man,  in  my  judgment,  in  either  army,  could 
hold  so  many  of  his  men  around  him  when  desperately  assailed. 
If  he  was  ordered  to  advance  and  attack,  he  did  it  as  he 
would  move  upon  the  field  for  inspection.  He  would  sit  un- 
moved on  his  horse  and  would  see  his  division  strike  like  a 
bolt  of  thunder,  and  no  member  of  his  command  could  tell, 
from  reading  his  face,  whether  the  battle  was  going  well  or 
ill.  He  wore  the  same  features  on  the  drill  field  as  on  the 
battlefield.  -General  GIBSON  was  of  the  same  mold  and  had 
many  of  the  same  qualities.  He  was  always  courteous,  dis- 
creet, never  rash,  and  never  transported  with  enthusiasm. 
His  courage  and  self-command  rose  with  the  emergency  and 
showed  at  its  best  when  put  to  the  severest  test. 

Every  commander  will  impress  his  own  character  upon  his 
troops.  I  have  seen  the  same  brigade  under  two  different 
commanuers  at  different  times.  Under  one  it  never  failed  to 
recoil  and  break  tinder  fire;  under  the  other  it  always  stood 
a  wall  of  adamant.  One  attracted  and  riveted  the  confidence 
of  his  troops  and  the  other  repelled  it.  No  commander  with- 
out personal  courage  can  have  the  respect  of  his  troops,  and 
without  capacity  to  handle  them  he  can  not  have  their  confi- 
dence. He  must  so  lead  them  that  they  will  be  proud  of  their 
achievements  when  they  stand  in  the  presence  of  their  com- 
rades and  in  the  eyes  of  their  country.  No  soldier  ever  saw 
General  GIBSON  on  any  field  where  he  was  not  master  of  him- 
self and  of  his  situation  and  where  his  troops  were  not  proud 
of  their  commander. 

No  one  ever  saw  him  recklessly  expose  his  command  where 
it  would  be  taken  at  disadvantage.  He  never  sought  to  win 
glory  for  himself  by  the  unnecessary  effusion  of  blood.  He 
kept  his  eye  steadily  fixed  upon  the  attainment  of  an  end,  and 
that  with  as  little  loss  and  suffering  as  possible  to  his  com 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  51 

mand  and  his  country.  It  was  this  splendid  trait  in  his  char- 
acter that  won  the  confidence  and  affection  of  his  comrades 
and  enabled  him  to  win  reputation  in  the  army  and  an 
abiding  place  in  the  affections  and  memory  of  his  countrymen. 

It  was  my  fortune  to  know  him  as  a  stateman  as  well  as  a 
soldier.  I  served  with  him  many  years  in  the  other  end  of 
the  Capitol.  He  exhibited  the  same  traits  in  civil  that  he 
had  displayed  in  military  life.  Duty  to  those  who  had  placed 
him  in  a  high  public  trust  was  the  law  that  governed  all  his 
actions.  He  was  a  laborious,  painstaking  liepresentative.  He 
would  investigate  every  question  thoroughly  before  he  would 
determine  his  course  upon  it.  He  soon  took  a  prominent 
position  in  the  deliberations  of  that  body,  and  his  utterances 
always  had  great  weight  with  its  members.  He  was  not  fond 
of  speaking.  He  spoke  rarely  and  Qiily,  as  it  seemed,  when 
driven  to  it  by  a  conviction  that  it  was  necessary  he  should  do 
so.  When  it  was  a  necessity  to  speak  he  had  that  rare  fac- 
ulty of  knowing  when  to  quit.  He  realized  the  fact  that  his 
speech  would  be  more  effective  if  his  words  would  cease  with 
his  ideas,  and  accommodated  his  speech  to  his  convictions. 

I  have  known  him  in  the  army,  in  the  House,  in  the  Seuater 
and  in  his  family.  In  all  the  long  years  of  our  acquaintance 
our  relations  were  close,  and  I  had  opportunity  to  see  him  in 
all  the  phases  of  his  character.  He  was  always  the  same; 
devoted  to  his  country,  his  family,  and  his  duty.  He  was  an 
affectionate  husband,  and  towards  his  children  he  had  the 
weakness  of  a  mother.  I  doubt  if  he  ever  learned  to  say  no 
to  one  of  them  in  answer  to  any  request.  I  have  been  with 
him  weeks  at  a  time  when  he  was  in  the  midst  of  his  family, 
and  I  was  often  reminded  of  that  king  of  France  who  said  that 
his  baby  was  the  most  powerful  subject  in  his  kingdom,  and 
when  asked  why  replied  that  his  child  ruled  his  mother,  the 
mother  ruled  him,  and  he  ruled  France.  In  General  GIBSON'S 


52      Address  of  Mr.  McPherson,  of  New  Jersey,  on  the 

case  the  children  ruled  the  father  without  the  intervention  of 
the  mother,  as  is  often  the  case  outside  as  well  as  inside  the 
boundaries  of  France. 

His  wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave;  and  he  now  sleeps  by 
her  side  in  the  warm  and  generous  bosom  of  the  State  upon 
whose  soil  he  was  born,  and  for  whom  throughout  his  whole 
life  he  cherished  the  most  unfaltering  affection.  He  was  proud 
of  Louisiana  and  loved  her  people  with  the  devotion  of  a  child. 
He  lived  to  reflect  honor  upon  her  who  had  honored  him.  For 
her  he  had  spent  his  life  in  peace  and  offered  it  in  war,  but 
when  death  came  it  made  a  child  of  him  again,  and  he  wanted 
to  sleep  with  the  ashes  of  his  fathers  in  the  beautiful  green  at 
Lexington.  There  his  country  and  his  kindred  consent  for 
him  to  rest  until  the  Author  of  his  being  shall  awake  him  from 
his  tomb  and  bid  him  arise  at  the  dawn  of  a  new  day  and  put 
on  immortality  and  eternal  lite. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  MCPHERSON,  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  Turning  back  the  pages  of  the  book  of 
time  for  two  short  years,  a  brief  era  in  a  nation's  life,  in  retro- 
spective view  we  find  a  current  of  sad  events,  all  teaching  a 
lesson  which  the  living  may  well  lay  to  his  heart.  In  that 
short  period  the  angel  of  death  has  four  times  invaded  this 
Chamber,  and  each  time  removed  from  mortal  eye  across  the 
dark  river  one  of  our  loved  and  honored  members. 

To  those  taken,  life  was  no  less  sweet  than  to  us  who  remain. 
Torn  from  the  loving  embrace  of  family  and  the  companion- 
ship of  friends  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  death,  he,  once  our 
brother,  is  summoned  hence  to  enter,  naked,  silent,  and  alone, 
the  confines  of  the  spirit  world.  How  sad  the  thought  that 
all  must  die  alone,  and  alone  must  cross  the  dark  river  to 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  53 

that  other  country  of  which  we  know  nothing.  Tne  past  alone 
is  ours ;  the  future  belongs  to  God.  The  grassy  hillock  that  is 
piled  o'er  the  icy  bosom,  and  the  record  of  deeds  done  in  the 
body,  is  all  that  is  left  to  earth  of  RANDALL  L.  GIBSON. 

I  need  not  speak  of  his  life  history  and  work ;  the  eloquent 
Senator  from  his  own  State  will  tell  the  story  of  his  earlier 
manhood.  I  will  speak  of  him  only  as  I  knew  him  in  the 
noonday  of  his  life  and  the  full  glory  of  his  mental  and 
physical  strength.  While  I  can  not  hope  to  add  to  the  wealth 
of  eulogy  worthy  to  be  bestowed  upon  our  departed  friend, 
my  tribute  to  his  memory  is  not  to  him  as  a  soldier  or  states- 
man, and  he  excelled  in  both,  but  to  him  as  a  man — a  man  of 
pure  and  lofty  purposes,  of  pure  thoughts,  and  pure  life.  As 
a  thinker  he  was  given  to  retrospect,  and  in  the  teachings  of 
history  he  found  a  guide  to  his  feet,  a  light  to  his  path. 
History  repeats  itself,  he  was  wont  to  say,  and  with  the  expe- 
rience of  the  past  before  us  why  can  we  not  avoid  many  of  the 
faults  and  misfortunes  of  the  present. 

My  first  acquaintance  with  RANDALL  GIBSON  was  a  chance 
one.  Some  time  after  the  late  civil  war,  and  after  the  passions 
which  inspired  it  had  measurably  died  away,  I  met  him  at 
Brussels,  in  Belgium,  and  introduced  myself.  He  had  a  charm 
about  him  always  to  me  irresistible,  and,  being  invited  by  him, 
together  we  visited  Waterloo,  the  most  famous  battlefield  of 
modern  times,  toward  which  the  traveler  of  every  race  now 
turns  his  footsteps.  Passing  under  the  gateway  where  the 
Belgian  lion  keeps  guard  over  the  dead  of  three  great  nations, 
we  strolled  to  the  heights  above  to  where  upon  that  fated  field 
the  Emperor  watched  the  battle.  The  guide  pointed  out  to 
us  the  theater  of  chief  events  in  that  memorable  struggle  in 
which  the  armies  of  England,  France,  and  Prussia  met  in 
deadly  conflict.  No  detail  escaped  the  eye  and  ear  of  Mr.  GIB- 
SON, and  at  times,  soldier  like,  his  mind  seemed  reveling  in 


54      Address  of  Mr.  McPherson,  of  New  Jersey,  on  the 

the  joyous  frenzy  of  the  fight,  but  later  in  the  day,  as  the  excite- 
ment wore  away,  he  turned  to  me  and  exclaimed  (in  substance) : 
How  horrible  even  to  contemplate.  The  blood  that  stained  this 
ground  was  shed  in  vain.  Beneath  our  feet  lie  moldering  in 
one  common  grave  the  bones  of  Briton  and  Gaul,  who  know 
not  for  what  they  fought,  except  it  be  for  the  glory  that  waits 
on  victory.  And  what  did  that  great  victory  accomplish? 
What  did  it  achieve!  It  gave  nothing  to  humanity,  to  liberty, 
to  the  rights  of  man.  In  like  manner,  said  he,  except  to  strike 
the  shackles  from  four  millions  of  slaves,  what  did  our  late  civil 
war  accomplish1?  What  did  it  achieve  that  with  wisdom  and 
forbearance  could  not  have  been  achieved  without  it?  Why 
did  not  reason  and  judgment,  both  here  and  there,  rush  to  the 
rescue  and  save  the  world  from  sacrifices  so  fearful  and  so 
unnecessary?  Thus  did  his  reflective  and  disciplined  mind 
reason  from  cause  to  effect  and  from  effect  back  to  cause  again, 
in  respect  of  two  great  events  which  happened  in  one  half  cent- 
ury, and  in  one  of  which  he  acted  so  conspicuous  a  part. 

Free  from  passion  himself,  he  viewed  with  alarm  the  sordid 
and  sinful  passions,  the  unreasoning  yet  controlling  voices  of 
the  multitude,  all  mingled  in  one,  which  had  driven  in  hot  haste 
the  ruling  spirit  of  two  great  continents  to  deluge  the  land  in 
blood;  and,  more  than  all,  he  deplored  the  continual  existence 
of  a  spirit  abroad  in  the  laud  which  might  cause  it  to  happen 
again. 

He  spoke  to  me  of  Kentucky,  to  whose  people  he  was  bound 
by  all  the  ties  of  blood  and  parentage ;  of  her  schools,  where 
his  education  began,  and  of  school  friendships  early  and  long 
bestowed.  He  paid  a  high  tribute  to  Louisiana,  the  State  of 
his  adoption,  to  whose  people  he  was  bound  by  all  ties  of  social 
and  official  life,  and  with  gratitude  and  obedience  of  heart  he 
.mentioned  the  oft-repeated  evidences  of  her  appreciation  and 
regard  which  bound  him  to  her  with  hooks  of  steel. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall' Lee  Gibson,  55 

Not  to  be  favorably  impressed  with  my  new-found  acquaint- 
ance— from  that  day  a  friend — and  always  a  cherished  friend 
till  the  end,  was  quite  impossible.  In  after  years  I  found  him 
ever  the  same.  The  nobility  of  his  character,  the  gallantry  of 
his  heart  and  mind  was  visible  in  every  act  he  did,  or  word 
spoken.  A  strong  and  resolute  man  has  fallen.  In  his  death 
the  country  has  lost  a  champion,  who,  by  experience,  had  learned 
the  sad  lesson  that  in  a  free  republic  resting  upon  the  will  and 
dependent  upon  the  power  of  the  people,  not  to  be  found  upon 
her  side  cheering  with  his  voice  and  strengthening  by  his  arm 
in  her  days  of  great  peril,  distress,  and  danger,  was  fraught 
alike  with  evil  to  her  and  to  him  who  would  profit  by  her  mis- 
fortunes. 

To  any  affront,  actual  or  implied,  Mr.  GIBSON  was  morbidly 
sensitive.  His  was  a  proud  and  manly  spirit,  void  of  offense 
to  others;  he  was  ever  ready  to  forgive  a  wrong  or  resent  an 
injury.  As  a  thinker  he  possessed  an  analytical  mind;  as  a 
statesman  liis  every  act  had  the  sanction  of  mature  reason  and 
an  excellent  judgment.  Hescor.ned  deceit,  abhorred  calumny, 
and  his  generous  nature  forbade  him  to  speak  of  others  except 
in  praise. 

It  never  occurred  to  him  that  he  could  be  asked  or  expected 
to  do  anything  that  would  stilly  his  character,  and  no  man  ever 
suspected  him  of  any  but  honest  motives  in  all  he  did. 

Rest  in  peace,  pure  and  patriotic  heart.  Though  dead  to  us, 
the  memory  of  thy  well-ordered  life  will  inspire  our  hearts  to 
higher  ami  nobler  effort. 


56        Address  of  Mr.  Manderson,  of  Nebraska,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  MANDERSON,  OF  NEBRASKA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  Under  the  pressure  of  many  demands 
upon  me  needing  much  time  and  attention,  I  had  not  expected 
to  participate  as  one  delivering  a  eulogy  upon  this  memorial 
occasion.  But  when  there  came  to  me  a  few  moments  ago  a 
request  from  the  senior  Senator  from  Louisiana  that  I  should 
say  something,  however  brief,  it  having  come  to  his  knowl- 
edge that  I  am  probably  the  only  man  on  this  side  of  the 
Chamber  who  had  such  service  upon  the  Union  side  that 
brought  liim  in  direct  conflict  during  the  war  with  Senator 
GIBSON,  I  felt  that  I  ought  not  to  decline,  but  should  pay 
my  tribute  to  his  memory  and  evidence  in  this  presence  my 
recognition  not  only  of  his  great  and  masterful  ability,  but  of 
that  patriotism  so  eloquently  spoken  of  here  that  has  guided 
his  steps  since  the  evil  days  of  the  war. 

As  these  interesting  services  have  progressed  my  mind  has 
been  carried  back  over  thirty  years,  and  there  comes  to  me 
most  vividly  a  stirring  battle  scene.  The  Confederate  army 
under  General  Bragg  was  in  position  about  Murfreesboro. 
The  Union  Army  of  General  Eosecrans  had  position  at  Nash- 
ville, over  thirty  miles  away.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  month 
of  December,  1862,  the  army  of  Rosecrans  moved  upon  the 
position  occupied  by  the  Confederate  troops.  There  came 
from  that  movement  a  shock  of  arms  and  a  battle  that  stands 
forth  as  one  of  most  desperate  endeavor  stoutly  resisted,  and 
as  a  conflict  that  ranks  in  determined  fighting  and  in  dreadful 
loss  of  life  above  any  of  the  battles  fought  by  Napoleon,  and  is 
only  rivaled  by  Gettysburg  and  Antietam,  and  a  few  of  the 
other  great  battles  of  our  own  war. 

The  first  day's  conflict  was  on  the  31st  day  of  December, 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  57 

and  there  came  to  the  Federal  Aruxy  that^  partial  repulse 
which  drove  back  its  right  and  which  was  only  saved  from 
being  dire  disaster  and  perhaps  the  scattering  of  the  army  of 
Rosecrans  to  the  four  winds  by  the  firm  stand  taken  and  held 
in  the  center  by  the  troops  under  brilliant  Sheridan  and  steady 
Thomas. 

The  two  armies  rested  on  their  arms  the  next  day.  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  2d  of  January,  1863,  it  was  my  fortune  to 
be  in  command  of  a  line  composed  of  my  own  regiment,  the 
Nineteenth  Ohio,  and  the  Ninth  Kentucky,  of  which  regiment 
Colonel  Grider  was  colonel,  he  being  in  command  of  the  bri- 
gade. The  demibrigade  organization  composed  of  these  two 
regiments  being  formed,  we  were  ordered  across  Stone  River, 
which  was  there  fordable,  and  we  took  position  on  the  top  of 
a  hill  that  had  its  easily  sloping  descent  to  the  river  side. 

After  some  little  time  spent  there  standing  in  line  of  battle, 
the  two  regiments  under  my  immediate  command  forming  the 
right  of  the  line,  there  appeared  to  our  sight  late  that  winter 
afternoon  as  grand  a  pageant  as  was  ever  seen  in  war.  The 
solid  columns  of  Breckinridge  moved  out  from  the  position 
where  it  had  been  obscured  from  view  by  growing  timber  and 
reaching  the  edge  of  the  timber  where  there  was  a  fence  about 
an  open  field,  acting  as  though  there  was  nothing  in  their  front 
to  interfere  with  their  movement  so  forceful  and  majestic  and 
with  a  calmness  and  a  deliberation  not  usually  incident  to 
scenes  of  battle,  the  fence  was  opened,  the  rails  laid  down,  and 
they  moved  out  of  the  woods  into  the  open. 

Column  after  column  of  attack  emerged  from  the  cover  in 
which  they  had  formed  and  moved  with  a  stateliness  and  pre- 
cision that  would  characterize  troops  upon  dress  parade  upon 
the  position  where  we  were  placed.  Behind  us  was  the  rapid 
stream,  Stone  River.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river  was  the 
main  body  of  the  Federal  Army  lying  ready  to  support  this 


58        Address  of  Mr.  Manderson,  of  Nebraska,  on  the 

feeble  brigade  of  troops  that  had  been  thrown  as  a  bait  across 
the  river.  On  a  frowning  hill  near  at  hand  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Crittenden — the  well-known  and  gallant  General  Toin 
Crittenden,  of  Kentucky — Colonel  Mendenhall  had  massed 
fifty-one  pieces  of  artillery,  all  trained  with  deadly  precision 
upon  this  hill  slope  where  the  Federal  brigade  of  Van  Cleve 
was  posted  awaiting  the  Confederate  attack. 

I  never,  Mr.  President,  saw  such  a  terrible  clash  of  arms  as 
came  between  that  line  and  the  advancing  columns  of  Breckin- 
ridge.  GIBSON'S  brigade  of  Louisiana  troops  was  in  the  lead  in 
that  tremendous  charge.  I  feel  like  criticising  the  statement 
made  by  the  Senator  from  Texas  [Mr.  MILLS]  when  he  said  that 
General  GIBSON  had  none  of  the  element  of  impetuosity  in  his 
nature,  for  it  could  not  be  that  the  column  which  advanced 
with  such  thorough  desperation  and  such  impetuous  force  upon 
our  lines  that  day  could  have  had  a  calm  and  a  deliberate  leader. 
We  met  them  with  a  counter  charge  that  broke  the  first  line  of 
the  Confederates  and  brought  us  to  a  hand-to  hand  conflict  with 
the  second  line  in  the  vigorous  column  of  attack.  Under  its  tre- 
mendous force  our  line  was  driven  back  to  Stone  River  with 
dreadful  loss  of  life.  In  my  own  regiment  out  of  449  men  with 
muskets  213  were  killed  or  wounded  in  the  bloody  battle  of 
Stone  River.  As  we  recrossed  the  rapid-running  river  to  what 
I  may  call  the  Federal  side  the  guns  of  Mendenhall  opened.  It 
was  as  though  "•  men  fought  upon  the  earth  and  fiends  in  upper 
air." 

My  recollection  is,  sir,  that  you  (Mr.  WHITE  in  the  chair), 
in  your  place,  when  delivering  your  eulogy,  paid  tribute  to  the 
bravery  of  GIBSON  upon  that  field.  It  was  well  deserved,  for, 
notwithstanding  the  dreadful  loss  and  the  natural  demoraliza- 
tion that  came  under  that  dreadful  discharge  of  fifty-one  guns 
at  such  short  range,  the  retiring  of  GIBSON'S  brigade — in  fact, 
of  the  entire  command  of  Breckiuridge  from  that  field — was 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  59 

characterized  with  very  little  disorder.    They  retreated  in  the 
same  masterly  manner  that  they  had  advanced. 

It  was  my  fortune,  sir,  to  be  upon  other  fields  in  opposition  to 
General  GIBSON.  I  was  also  at  Shiloh.  I  do  not  know  that 
he  was  in  the  immediate  front  of  that  part  of  Buell's  army  with 
which  1  served.  As  I  have  followed  the  recital  of  his  history 
and  as  I  have  talked  with  him  during  his  life,  for  we  often 
"fought  our  battles  o'er  "  as  we  met  here  and  at  other  places 
since  our  service  together  in  this  Chamber,  I  recognized  that 
we  had  moved  on  parallel  though  antagonistic  lines  and  know 
the  fact  that  during  the  Atlanta  campaign  we  came  sometimes 
in  contact. 

There  is  upon  the  Presiding  Officer's  desk  (and  my  calling  the 
attention  of  the  Senator  from  Louisiana  to  it  was  the  occasion 
of  my  making  these  remarks  here)  a  gavel  presented  to  me  a 
little  over  a  year  ago  by  the  men  who  served  with  me  in  my 
regiment.  It  is  made  up  of  woods  gathered  from  the  fields  of 
several  of  the  battles  in  which  my  regiment  was  engaged. 
There  is  no  battle  mentioned  on  the  woods  of  which  that  gavel 
is  composed  that  Senator  GIBSON  did  not  serve  upon  the  one 
side  and  I  upon  the  other. 

But,  sir,  there  has  come  from  this  long  and  fearful  conflict, 
as  I  believe,  nothing  but  mutual  respect,  and  I  believe  that 
respect,  aye,  a  warm  and  hearty  admiration,  not  to  say  affection, 
unites  now  the  men  who  fought  upon  the  two  sides  of  this  great 
struggle.  In  saying  this  I  desire  to  say  nothing  that  shall 
detract  from  or  minimize  in  the  least  the  conviction  I  had  then, 
and  have  now,  that  on  this  side,  what  I  may  call  our  side,  the 
Union  side,  we  were  fighting  for  that  which  was  everlastingly 
right;  and  I  thank  God,  and  I  believe  that  every  ex-Confeder- 
ate soldier  thanks  the  God  of  battles,  that  the  result  has  been 
what  it  is — a  Union  saved  and  a  Union  preserved. 


60  Address  of  Mr.  Caffery,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

If  there  are  any  not  now  satisfied  with  the  result  they  are 
not  to  be  found  among  those  who  fought  on  either  side. 

Mr.  President,  it  has  been  a  pleasant  thing  to  me  as  I  have 
come  in  contact  with  those  who  fought  upon  the  other  side  in 
that  dread  struggle,  whether  they  fought  in  the  East  or  in  the 
West,  and  no  matter  from  what  section  of  the  South  they  came, 
to  recognize  the  fact  that  while  they  exult  and  properly  exult 
and  take  pride  and  a  proper  pride  in  the  heroism,'  in  the  cour- 
age, in  the  persistent  endeavor  that  characterized  their  efforts, 
they  rival  us  to-day  in  devotion  to  the  country,  in  respect  for 
its  flag,  and  in  patriotic  determination  to  do  all  that  in  them 
lies  to  advance  the  interests  of  our  common  country.  We  have 
buried  all  animosities  long  ago  in  a  mutual  determination  and 
a  common  purpose. 

No  man  who  served  with  General  GIBSON  can  regret  his 
death  more  than  those  of  us  who  fought  against  him  and  his 
cause.  We  have  the  same  respect  for  his  memory  as  his  com- 
rades in  the  war.  We  grieve  with  them  over  his  loss.  He  is 
dead;  but,  as  has  been  well  said  by  others,  the  recollection  of 
his  life  will  be  an  incentive  to  better  lives  and  higher  aims. 
We  shall  never  see  him  more;  but  his  memory  will  live  with 
us  as  the  brightest  of  recollections  to  those  who  had  the  great 
privilege  of  his  confidence  and  the  favor  of  his  friendship. 

He  died  as  he  had  lived  —  "without  fear  and  without  re- 
proach." 

ADDRESS  OF  MR.  CAFFERY,  OF  LOUISIANA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT:  Distinguished  and  eloquent  Senators  have 
spoken  in  glowing  terms  of  the  life,  character,  attainments, 
and  achievements  of  Senator  GIBSON. 

I  had  not  the  privilege  of  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
him;  it  is  denied  me,  therefore,  to  have  that  glow  of  friendship 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  61 

and  that  tenderness  of  memory  which  throw  over  the  grave 
the  halo  of  softened  and.  saddened  sentiment. 

Be  mine  the  office  of  briefly  adverting  to  those  qualities  of 
mind  and  character  which  impressed  those  not  within  the 
sacred  circle  of  affectionate  intercourse;  those  qualities  which 
entitle  him  to  the  respect  and  love  of  his  State  and  his  country. 

Not  like  a  comet  did  he  shoot  across  the  intellectual  sky? 
dazzling  and  disappearing,  but  with  steady  radiance  he  shone 
like  a  fixed  star,  emitting  the  brightest  and  purest  of  rays. 
He  did  not  spring  into  the  martial  field  full  armed  and 
equipped,  but  with  trained  valor  and  cool  judgment  ascended 
the  steep  of  fame  through  the  roar  and  smoke  of  many  a  hard- 
fought  battle. 

He  did  not,  like  Pitt,  astonish  as  a  leader  before  he  had 
served  as  a  subaltern,  but  rose  by  slow  gradation  to  command 
the  applause  and  attention  of  listening  Senates. 

By  patient  labor  and  deep  research  he  reached  his  conclu- 
sions. If  he  lacked  the  inspiration  of  great  genius,  he  gained 
the  fruits  of  disciplined  talent.  If  he  never  ascended  to  those 
heights  which  dazzle  the  beholder,  he  never  fell  below  the 
plane  of  correct  judgment.  His  parts  were  more  solid  than 
brilliant,-  his  mind  more  analytic  than  inventive;  his  acquire- 
ments more  useful  than  showy. 

Careful,  conscientious,  and  laborious,  he  was  a  faithful  public 
servant  and  a  sagacious  legislator. 

With  no  unsteady  wing  did  he  soar  to  high  rank  in  war  and 
proud  eminence  in  peace,  but  with  even  pace  and  inflexible 
purpose  he  pursued  the  objects  of  his  ambition  and  his  desire. 
-  I  am  informed  by  a  close  friend  of  his  that  his  thoughts 
constantly  dwelt  011  his  "Old  brigade;"  that  brigade  which,  in 
winter's  snow  or  summer's  heat,  in  the  joy  of  victory  or  in  the 
gloom  of  defeat,  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  "lost  cause"  with 
a  fortitude,  a  loyalty,  and  a  courage  which  won  the  admiration 


62  Address  of  Mr.  Caffery,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

of  warriors  whose  stern  joy  was  evoked  by  meeting  foemeu 
worthy  of  their  steel. 

The  followers  of  the  battle  flags  of  that  "Old  brigade"  are 
scattered  over  the  hills  and  valleys,  among  the  towns  and  cities 
of  my  native  State  of  Louisiana.  The  elastic  tread,  the  ere.jt 
form,  the  flashing  eye,  are  gone  with  youth  and  war  and  con- 
flict. The  memories  that  cling  to  the  "Old  brigade,"  the  love 
and  admiration  of  its  survivors  for  their  old  general,  will,  like 
"immortelles,"  spring  perpetual  from  his  grave. 

Happy  in  his  death  is  the  man  who  is  followed  to  his  "nar- 
row house"  by  the  respect  and  love  and  tears  of  his  fellows. 
Happier  the  commander,  at  mention  of  whose  name  the  hoary 
heads  of  his  companions  in  arms  are  uncovered  and  shaking 
hands  wipe  away  the  unbidden  tear.  These  spontaneous 
tributes  to  military  worth  and  civic  virtue  are  worth  more  than 
"  storied  urn  or  animated  bust." 

As  our  deceased  brother  served  so  well  his  State  in  war,  so 
did  he  stand  as  h<  r  bulwark  in  peace. 

When,  in  1876-'77,  a  direful  blow  impended  over  Louisiana, 
threatening  to  supplement  the  destruction  of  war  with  the 
despair  of  peace,  he  stood  forth  her  champion.  He  advocated 
her  just  claims  with  that  pursuasive  eloquence  and  convincing 
logic  which  the  loftiest  patriotism  only  could  inspire.  Never 
was  there  such  a  cause  and  never  such  a  client.  A  great  State 
was  pleading  for  her  statehood.  The  plea  was  heard,  was 
allowed,  and  the  advocate  was  forever  immortalized  and  for- 
ever enshrined  in  the  heart  and  in  the  affection  of  his  people. 
No  brass  or  marble  can  ever  fittingly  commemorate  the  services 
which  Senator  GIBSON  rendered  Louisiana,  when  he  persuaded 
General  Grant  to  preserve  the  status  quo,  and  afterwards  Presi- 
dent Hayes  to  recognize  Francis  T.  Nichols  as  her  rightful 
and  legal  governor. 

The  two  great  material  works  accomplished  by  General  GIB- 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  63 

SON  were  the  formation  of  the  Mississippi  River  Commission 
and  the  establishment  of  Tulaue  University.  They  are  both 
works  of  more  than  local  bearing.  The  first  is  of  national  im- 
portance, and  the  latter  exercises  an  influence  far  beyond  State 
boundaries. 

He  had  the  sagacity  to  perceive  the  correctness  of  the  plan 
of  improvement  of  the  Mississippi,  advocated  by  the  great 
engineer,  James  B.  Eads.  He  labored  successfully  for  the 
formation  of  the  Mississippi  River  Commission,  by  which  that 
plan  was  partially  carried  into  execution.  The  result  is  that 
the  waters  of  the  mighty  river  are  confined  into  narrow  chan- 
nels and  made  to  do  the  work  of  its  own  deepening  and  im- 
provement. 

The  farmer  and  the  planter  in  the  alluvial  lands  of  the  Lower 
Mississippi  rise  up  and  call  his  name  blessed  for  their  partial 
immunity  from  devastating  floods. 

With  broad  and  comprehensive  view,  he  seized  on  the  oppor- 
tunity, offered  by  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Paul  Tulane,  to  found 
Tulaue  University,  in  the  city  of  Xew  Orleans.  That  Univer- 
sity is  an  imperishable  monument  of  his  sagacity  and  his  use- 
fulness. 

He  conceived  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  university  in  his 
State,  through  the  instrumentality  of  which  she  could  rise  from 
her  ashes. 

He  knew  that  the  surest  foundation  for  the  success  and  per- 
petuity of  republican  institutions  is  a  cultivated  knowledge  of 
the  genius  and  spirit  of  our  Constitution.  He  knew  that  the 
lost  prestige  of  the  South  could  only  be  recovered  through  the 
enlightened  brain  and  the  cultured  morality  and  the  indomi- 
table energy  of  its  citizens. 

He  knew  that  her  sons  were  endowed  with  quick  intellects 
and  sound  hearts;  he  knew  that  poverty  had  made  them  in- 
dustrious, and  God  and  nature  had  made  them  honest.  He 


64  Address  of  Mr.  Caffery,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

knew  therefore  that  the  vivifying  touch  of  learning  and  knowl- 
edge would  bring  out  the  latent  powers  of  the  great  common- 
wealths of  the  South,  devasted  by  war  and  scourged  by  recon- 
struction. 

The  institution,  founded  largely  through  his  efforts  to  mold 
into  enduring  shape  the  beneficence  of  Mr.  Tulaiie,  realizes  his 
fondest  hopes.  In  science,  in  art,  in  the  departments  of  law 
and  medicine,  it  challenges  favorable  comparison  with  any 
university  in  the  United  States.  There  the  youth  from  all 
over  the  South,  at  moderate  expense,  can  lay  the  foundation 
for  future  usefulness.  There  the  strength,  the  courage,  the 
learning,  and  the  skill  may  be  acquired  which  will  make  the 
waste  places  within  her  borders  "  bloom  and  blossom  as  the 
rose." 

There  the  future  statesman  may  be  formed  who,  with  Web- 
sterian  power  and  eloquence,  may  swell  patriotic  hearts  with 
the  excellence,  the  strength,  the  elasticity,  and  the  durability 
of  the  Constitution  of  our  common  country.  There  the  mer- 
chant prince  may  be  taught  those  lessons  of  finance  and  trade 
which  will  fill  his  argosies  with  the  golden  stores  of  the  ancient 
empire  of  Genghis  Khan. 

And  there  the  great  engineer  may  be  taught  who  will  give 
to  science  an  easy  and  cheap  method  of  piercing  the  Isthmus 
of  Darien  and  open  a  channel  for  the  commerce  of  the  civilized 
globe. 

Tulane  University  will  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  the 
name  of  RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON. 

It  is  needless  for  me  to  say  to  Senators  who  served  with 
Senator  GIBSON  that  he  was  formed  on  broad  lines;  that  his 
patriotism  embraced  every  section  and  every  interest,  and  that 
he  constantly  looked  to  our  simple  yet  complex  Constitution, 
and  the  laws  and  treaties  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  as  the 
paramount  law  of  the  land. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  65 

Jii  his  native  soil  of  Kentucky  he  sleeps  by  the  side  of  his 
beloved  wife.  His  adopted  State,  Louisiana,  claims  the  privi- 
lege of  placing  garlands  of  affection  and  reverence  on  his  grave. 

Mr.  President,  I  move  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions. 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  agreed  to;  and  (at  7  o'clock 
and  25  minutes  p.  m.)  the  Senate  adjourned  until  to-morrow, 
Thursday,  March  2,  1893,  at  11  o'clock  a.  m. 
S.  Mis.  178 5 


EULOGIES    IN    THE   HOUSE   OF   REPRE- 
SENTATIVES. 


FRIDAY,  March  5,  1893. 

The  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Senate  in  honor  of  Senator 
GIBSON  having  been  communicated  to  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives upon  the  last  day  of  the  Congress  extended  eulogies 
could  not  then  be  delivered. 

Mr.  MEYER  said: 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  The  few  remaining  hours  of  this  Congress 
and  the  pressure  upon  it  for  action  upon  important  public 
measures  renders  it  impracticable  to  devote  now  a  sufficient 
time  for  the  members  of  this  House  to  pay  appropriate  and 
proper  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Senator  GIBSON. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Louisiana  delegation  in  the  Fifty- 
third  Congress,  at  a  suitable  period  during  the  next  session, 
to  ask  that  the  resolutions  now  presented  by  the  Senate  be 
again  called  up  and  the  members  of  that  body,  of  which  our 
distinguished  and  lamented  colleague  would  still  have  formed 
a  part  had  not  death  summoned  him  from  us,  will  have  oppor- 
tunity to  add  the  expression  of  their  sentiments  and  sorrow 
to  the  eloquent  eulogiums  already  pronounced  by  his  brethren 
of  the  United  States  Senate. 


SATURDAY,  April  21, 1894. 

The  SPEAKER.  There  is  a  special  order  set  apart  for  2  o'clock 
to-day.  It  wants  but  five  minutes  of  that  hour,  and,  without 
objection,  the  Chair  will  submit  the  special  order  now,  instead 
of  waiting  until  that  time. 

66 


Enolgies  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  67 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  Saturday,  the  7th  day  of  April,  beginning  at  2  o'clock 
p.  in.,  be  set  apart  for  eulogies  on  the  late  RANDALL  L.  GIBSON. 

Mr.  MEYKR.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  otter  the  resolutions  which  I 
send  to  the  Clerk's  desk. 

The  resolutions  \vere  read,  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  House  be  now  suspended,  that  oppor- 
tunity may  be  given  for  tributes  to  the  memory  of  the  Hon.  RANDALL  LEE 
GIBSON,  lately  a  Senator  and  formerly  a  Representative  from  the  State 
of  Louisiana. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  instructed  to  send  a  copy  of  these  resolu- 
tions to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  particular  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
deceased,  and  in  recognition  of  his  eminent  abilities  as  a  distinguished 
public  servant,  the  House,  at  the  conclusion  of  these  memorial  proceed- 
ings, shall  stand  adjourned. 

The  resolutions  were  agreed  to. 


68  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer^  of  Louisiana,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  MEYER,  OF  LOUISIANA. 
Mr.  SPEAKER:  A  great  American  poet  has  said: 

Were  a  star  quenched  on  high, 

For  ages  would  its  light, 
Still  traveling  downward  from  the  sky, 

Shine  on  our  mortal  sight. 
So  when  a  great  man  dies, 

For  years  beyond  our  ken 
The  light  he  leaves  behind  him  lies 

Upon  the  paths  of  men. 

Mr.  Speaker,  it  is  an  honored  usage  of  this  body  and  of  the 
associate  branch  of  Congress  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  death 
of  one  of  its  members  we  shall  turn  aside  from  the  cares  and 
activities  of  our  ordinary  duties  to  pay  such  tribute  of  respect 
as  may  be  due  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased.  I  ask  this 
House  to-day  to  unite  with  me  in  this  honor  to  the  memory  of 
one  who  sat  here  as  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  Lou- 
isiana for  four  successive  terms,  and  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  from  March,  1883,  till  the  time  of  his  death  in 
December,  1892,  filling  these,  as  he  did  all  the  trusts  of  a  long 
and  varied  career,  with  an  earnestness,  conscientiousness, 
and  power  that  made  him  indeed  a  man  among  men. 

RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON  sprang  from  Revolutionary  stock, 
and,  like  many  of  our  notable  men,  the  antecedents  of  his  fam- , 
ily  and  his  early  studies  of  the  Revolutionary  epoch  exerted  a 
marked  impress  upon  his  character,  opinions,  and  career. 
John  Gibson,  the  first  immigrant  of  the  family,  came  from 
England  in  1706  with  one  sister  and  several  brothers  and 
settled  near  the  lower  Rappahaimock,  in  Virginia.  Subse- 
quently they  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Sandy  Bluff,  on  the 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  69 

Great  Pedee  River,  in  South  Carolina.  They  aiid  their  kin- 
dred, the  Murfees,  Saunders,  Harrisons,  and  others,  warmly 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Colonies  and  upheld  it  all  through 
those  long,  weary  years,  till  when  "black  and  smoking  ruins" 
had  taken  the  place  of  once  prosperous  and  joyous  habitations 
the  patriots  of  South  Carolina  entered  upon  their  rich  inherit- 
ance of  freedom. 

After  the  struggle  closed  the  grandfather  of  RANDALL 
GIBSON,  bearing  the  same  name  as  his,  followed  the  westward 
current  of  American  progress  and  settled  in  the  State  of  Mis- 
sissippi, where  he  became  a  wealthy  planter.  His  home,  termed 
Oakley,  in  Warren  County,  Miss.,  was  noted  for  its  hospitality. 
His  connections  and  descendants  embrace  many  of  the  best 
known  names  in  the  Southwest.  This  grandfather  of  Senator 
GIBSON  is  said  to  have  built  the  first  church  and  founded  the 
first  institution  of  learning  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  fitly 
named  Jefferson  College.  His  wife,  Harriet  McKinley,  was 
the  daughter  of  John  McKiuley  and  Mary  Connelly,  both 
natives  of  Ireland.  McKinley  was  an  officer  of  the  Virginia 
line  in  the  Revolution,  and  died  in  the  service  of  the  Common- 
wealth in  1782. 

Tobias  Gibson,  son  of  Randall  GibSou,  of  Mississippi,  and 
father  of  RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON,  of  Louisiana,  settled  in  Terre 
Bonne  Parish  of  our  State,  where  he  became  one  of  the  wealth- 
iest and  most  influential  sugar-planters  in  that  country.  He 
was  a  warm  personal  and  political  friend  of  Henry  Clay,  and 
his  summer  residence  at  Lexington  was  a  headquarters  for 
those  who  supported  the  great  American  orator  and  statesman. 
Tobias  Gibson  married  Louisiana,  the  daughter  of  Colonel 
Nathaniel  Hart,  of  Spring  Hill,  Woodford  County,  Ky.  Her 
mother  came  from  the  Preston  stock  of  Virginia,  and  he  him- 
self was  nearly  allied  to  Thomas  Hart  Bentou  and  Mrs.  Henry 
Clay.  Spring  Hill  was  one  of  those  great  Southern  homes  and 


70  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

households  which  belong  to  our  past  history,  aud  were  the 
products  of  a  civilization  no  longer  ours  indeed,  but  yet  eveu 
now  redolent  of  memories  of  refinement,  culture,  manly  breed- 
ing, courage,  honor,  and  unstinted  hospitality,  the  nurseries 
of  a  type  of  character  in  men  and  women  that  need  not  shrink 
from  comparison  with  any  other  in  the  world  or  in  all  history. 
It  was  in  this  typical  Southern  house  that  EANDALL  LEE 
GIBSON  was  born  September  10,  1832.  There  and  at  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  he  passed  much  of  his  boyhood.  Here  was  his 
earliest  schooling  in  books,  and  here  also  his  other  education 
of  country  life,  with  the  benign  influences  of  home,  family, 
forest,  and  field.  There  was  for  him  a  like  healthy  training  at 
his  father's  plantation  in  Louisiana.  In  1849  he  went  to  Yale 
College,  where  he  took  high  rank  and  graduated  four  years 
later  with  special  distinction.  There  were  formed  some  of  the 
most  cherished  and  enduring  friendships  of  his  life.  He'always 
spoke  of  Yale  with  proud  and  affectionate  retrospect.  His 
friends  at  Yale  were  dear  to  him  always.  Of  this  period  of 
his  life  the  late  distinguished  Judge  Edward  O.  Billings,  his 
classmate  and  close  friend,  said: 

I  wish  I  could  fully  delineate  RANDALL  LEK  GIBSON  as  he  stood  up  aud 
delivered  the  class  oration  in  June,  1853,  at  Yale  College.  In  his  presence 
and  appearance  were  united  that  which  was  comely  and  fascinating  in  the 
beauty  of  youth  and  scholarly  in  speech  and  that  which  was  commanding 
in  intellect,  and  above  all  the  impressiveness  and  dignity  of  an  earnest 
purpose  to  do  well  his  part,  not  alone  because  it  was  to  be  connected  with 
himself,  but  also  because  he  appreciated  and  enjoyed  everything  that  w.-is 
well  done. 

GIBSON  studied  law  in  New  Orleans  and  graduated  at  the 
University  of  Louisiana  in  1855.  He  then  went  abroad  and 
spent  three  years  in  Europe.  This  travel  was  not  for  him  a  jour- 
ney of  idleness  and  pleasure,  as  it  is  with  many.  He  had  been 
a  close  and  careful  student  and  a  diligent  reader.  His  days 
in  Europe  were  only  a  part  of  a  liberal  education.  He  studied 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson,  71 

in  Berlin,  and  visited  Russia  and  other  countries,  including 
Spain,  where  he  speiit  six  months  at  the  American  legation. 
In  later  life  he  frequently  revisited  Europe  with  his  wife,  but 
lie  traveled  mainly  for  health  and  instruction.  He  studied  and 
observed,  gathering'  up  stores  for  future  use.  He  was  never 
an  idle  man,  and  what  he  did  was  with  a  high  and  serious  pur- 
pose in  life. 

On  his  return  to  America  this  young  man,  so  well  educated 
and  equipped,  naturally  followed  his  father's  steps  and  became 
a  sugar-planter.  Country  life  in  the  South  possesses  great 
attractions  even  for  those  most  richly  educated  and  endowed. 
There  were  books,  horses,  hunting,  the  duties  of  the  planta- 
tion, the  kind  and  just  government  of  those  placed  under  him 
by  the  ordination  of  Divine  Providence,  abundant  leisure  and 
opportunities  for  study  and  research,  and  a  society  founded 
upon  the  sentiment  of  honor,  respect  for  law,  and  reverence 
for  women.  There  was  nothing  in  the  fascination  of  the  Old 
World  or  of  cities  to  wean  him  from  this  plantation  life,  which 
had  bred  Washington,  Jefferson,  Oalhouu,  and  a  host  of  wor- 
thies, and  now  welcomed  to  its  charmed  circle  and  happiest 
influences  this  accomplished  and  scholarly  young  recruit. 

Even  then  he  took  a  partial  interest  in  politics,  his  mind 
leaning  to  State  rights  and  Democratic  opinions.  It  was,  how- 
ever, his  nature  to  do  well  whatever  he  had  in  hand,  and  the 
work  of  a  sugar  plantation,  its  economies,  methods,  and  forces, 
he  then  mastered  so  thoroughly  that  when  in  years  long  after- 
wards he  came  to  deal  with  this  great  interest  as  a  representa- 
tive in  Congress,  the  fullness  and  precision  of  his  knowledge 
made  him  easily  the  first  in  the  work  of  the  committee  and  of 
the  House,  and  a  bulwark  to  the  people  who,  struggling  for  a 
living,  rested  on  his  strong  arm  and  wise  guidance.  At  that 
epoch,  so  early  as  it  now  seems  to  us,  Louisiana  blossomed  as 
the  rose.  The  harvest  season  in  the  parishes  came  to  a 


72  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

wealthy,  a  prosperous,  and  a  happy  population.  White  and 
black,  living  in  a  repose  and  peace  almost  Arcadian,  hardly 
realized  that  on  the  horizon  there  hung  the  cloud  which  was 
destined  soon  to  blacken  the  fair  face  of  all  that  bright,  sunny 
land. 

Two  short  years  passed  and  our  young  planter  found  him- 
self bound  in  honor  and  duty  to  leave  the  happy  home  and 
peaceful  avocations  to  which  his  tastes  and  education  naturally 
conducted  him,  and  to  take  his  part  in  the  stern  realities  of 
war.  His  native  laud  had  been  invaded;  the  land  of  his  youth, 
his  home,  his  kindred,  and  all  that  he  held  dear  and  sacred 
was  in  peril.  Of  the  justice  of  the  cause  of  the  South — that 
her  struggle  was  purely  defensive,  however  he  might  deplore 
the  collision  of  the  warring  sections — he  could  feel  no  doubt. 
Nor  could  he  doubt  as  to  his  duty.  It  was  not  a  time  for  any 
to  hold  back.  Young  and  ardent  as  he  was,  his  thoughtful 
temperament  and  wise  study  of  history  could  not  fail  to  impress 
him  with  the  solemn  character  of  the  ordeal  of  battle.  He 
weighed  all  the  risks  to  life  and  fortune,  and  to  the  State,  but 
these  thoughts  to  so  high  a  nature  as  his  only  nerved  and 
strengthened  his  purpose. 

Sectional  passion,  with  thirty  years  of  cessation  of  the  con- 
flicts of  hostile  armies,  have  given  place  to  a  broader  and 
more  generous  feeling  and  to  a  yearning  for  a  peace  without 
recriminations  or  prejudice  against  any  section;  but  stronger 
than  this  wise  sentiment  we  find  a  disposition  to  do  honor  to 
the  manhood  and  courage  of  those  who  in  either  army  periled 
their  lives  for  their  convictions.  The  list  of  the  heroes  of  the 
civil  war  is  beginning  to  be  regarded  as  a  common  heritage  of 
honor.  Men  differ  and  will  continue  to  diifer  as  to  the  origin 
and  causes  of  this  great  strife,  but  the  discussion  is  historical, 
and  does  not  involve  present  political  issues. 

In  the  roll  of  honor  of  which  I  speak,  few  stand  higher  than 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.     .       73 

GIBSON,  and  none  more  worthy.  His  record  from  first  to  last 
is  that  of  duty  well  performed.  The  soldiers  in  my  hearing 
know  that  there  can  be  no  higher  praise  than  this.  He  lacked 
unfortunately  the  vigorous  physique  which  enable  many  men 
to  withstand  the  hardships  and  exposure  of  camp  life,  the 
rigors  of  the  wintry  storm,  the  inarch,  and  the  many  trials  of 
battle.  There  were  no  winter  quarters  with  fires,  blankets, 
clothing,  and  provisions  for  the  Confederate  forces.  The  strain 
was  incessant.  It  was  amid  such  hardships  and  exposure  near 
Corinth  in  1862  that  this  delicately  nurtured  young  man  first 
developed  that  terrible  malady — hereditary  gout — which  in 
after  years  so  often  paralyzed  his  best  thoughts  and  energies 
and  tortured  his  frame  to  the  infirmity  which  would  have 
driven  a  common  man  to  seek  repose. 

The  intellect  and  the  wiU  triumphed  over  the  body,  and  for 
over  thirty  years,  in  war  and  in  peace,  he  braced  himself  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  life.  He  was  not  an  educated  soldier,  but 
he  soon  made  himself  a  thorough  one,  and  as  such  won  the 
confidence  of  his  troops  and  the  commendation  of  his  superior 
officers.  Entering  the  Southern  army  as  a  private  in  the  ranks, 
he  was  soon  appointed  to  be  a  captain  of  the  First  Louisiana 
Artillery,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Jackson,  below  New 
Orleans.  Xot  long  afterwards  he  was  elected  colonel  of  the 
Thirteenth  Louisiana  Infantry.  At  Shiloh,  before  the  battle, 
his  regiment  was  assigned  to  picket  duty  with  three  others, 
and  all,  as  it  chanced,  were  without  a  brigadier.  By  common 
consent  this  honor  was  conferred  upon  him,  and  this  brigade, 
thus  led  by  GIBSON,  made  a  special  reputation  for  heroism  in 
those  two  days  of  fierce  slaughter,  stubborn  endurance,  and 
wonderful  valor. 

Hardly  any  brigade  was  more  severely  tried  and  tested  in 
that  battlefield  than  the  regiments  thus  hastily  thrown 
together  under  a  new  commander,  and  no  man  but  one  of  rare 


74  .-Idrfress  of  Mr.  Afeyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

force  could  thus  have  evolved  from  raw  troops  the  steadiness 
and  work  of  veterans.  The  service  thus  performed  was  the 
prelude  to  a  long  and  honorable  career.  GIBSON  was  present 
in  the  battles  of  Perry ville,  Murfreesboro,  Chickamauga, 
Missionary  Ridge,  and  other  fields,  and  in  the  campaigns  of 
1862,  1863,  and  1864  of  the  Western  army.  One-third  of  his 
brigade  was  killed  and  wounded  at  Murfreesboro.  He  was 
trusted  and  commended  by  Polk,  Hardee,  John  C.  Breckiu- 
ridge,  Cheatham,  Dan  Adams,  Maury,  Preston,  Stephen  D. 
Lee,  Richard  Taylor,  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  Hood. 

General  H.  D.  Clayton,  in  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Jones- 
boro,  fought  on  31st  August,  1864,  says  that  Brigadier- Gen- 
eral GIBSON,  seizing  the  colors  of  one  of  his  regiments,  dashed 
to  the  front  and  to  the  very  works  of  the  enemy.  The  brigade 
lost  there  one-half  of  its  members.  General  Stephen  D.  Lee 
makes  special  mention  of  the  gallant  crossing  of  the  Tennessee 
River  near  Florence,  Ala.,  by  GIBSON  and  his  brigade.  When 
Hood's  army  was  defeated  at  Nashville  by  Thomas,  it  fell  to 
the  lot  of  this  brigade  to  check  the  progress  of  the  enemy  near 
Overton  Hill  under  the  immediate  eye  of  General  Lee.  Gen- 
eral Hood  gives  him  the  highest  praise.  He  says: 

General  GIBSON,  who  evinced  conspicuous  gallantry  and  ability  in  the 
handling  of  his  troops,  succeeded,  in  concert  with  Clayton,  in  checking  and 
staying  the  first  and  most  dangerous  shuck,  -which  always  follows  imme- 
diately after  a  rout. 

Again,  he  says  that  GIBSON'S  brigade  and  MeKin/ie's  bat- 
tery of  Fenner's  battalion  acted  as  "  rear  guard  of  the  rear 
guard."  Here  we  have  a  soldierly  character  and  force  develop- 
ing itself  and  shining  the  more  brightly  as  calamity  thickened 
and  the  ordeal  became  more  difficult  with  great  and  greater 
odds  and  each  hour  bringing  a  lessening  hope  of  final  victory. 
Other  work,  however,  remained  to  be  performed.  When  Gen- 
eral Oanby  with  a  heavy  force  moved  against  Mobile,  General 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  75 

GIBSON  was  detached  by  General  Maury  from  his  main  army 
with  a  few  less  than  2,000  men  and  ordered  to  hold  Spanish 
Fort  on  the  east  side  of  Mobile  Bay.  For  more  than  two 
weeks,  amid  incessant  fighting,  he  maintained  his  position  in 
the  intrench ments  of  these  works  against  a  force  estimated  to 
be  20,000  strong,  aided  by  seventy-five  cannon  and  a  large 
fleet,  inflicted  a  large  loss  upon  his  assailants,  and  finally  by 
a  well-conducted  retreat  saved  nearly  all  his  command  except 
those  already  killed  or  too  severely  wounded  to  be  withdrawn. 
These  operations  at  Mobile  Bay  were  the  last  great  struggle 
of  the  war.  General  Richard  Taylor,  in  recognition  of  GIB 
SON'S  services,  enlarged  his  command,  but  this  long  and  dread- 
ful conflict  of  the  two  sections  came  to  a  close,  and  was  termi- 
nated by  surrender  of  the  Confederate  armies.  General  GIB- 
SON'S parting  address  to  his  troops  was  worthy  of  him  and  of 
them.  He  said: 

As  soldiers,  you  -have  been  among  the  bravest  and  most  steadfast.  As 
citizens,  be  law-abiding,  peaceful,  and  industrious. 

This  closing  sentence  furnishes  the  key  to  his  political  action 
and  aims  from  1865  till  the  hour  of  his  death. 

Like  nearly  all  his  associates,  General  GIBSON  fouud  himself 
at  the  close  of  the  war  ruined  in  fortune.  His  father's  splendid 
sugar  estate  in  Terre  Bonne  was  a  wreck.  To  restore  it  without 
ample  capital  and  reliable,  efficient  labor  was  impossible.  He 
therefore  settled  in  New  Orleans  and  devoted  himself  to  the 
practice  of  the  law.  His  labors  were  crowned  with  unusual 
and  immediate  success,  for  few  possessed  higher  adaptation  to 
the  requirements  of  the  bar.  It  was  at  this  time  of  his  life,  in 
1867,  that  he  met  and  married  Miss  Mary  Montgomery,  the 
charming  and  accomplished  woman  who  lent  such  exquisite 
grace  to  his  household  and  brought  to  him  a  tenderness  and 
devotion  that  made  her  indeed  a  ministering  angel.  It  was 
her  fate  to  be  summoned  before  he  was  called  away,  but  not 


76  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

until  many  years  of  mutual  happiness  bad  blessed  them  both 
and  strengthened  him  to  meet  the  increased  cares  and  burdens 
of  a  public  career  and  to  bear  up  under  the  malady  which  for 
long  years  impeded  his  best  endeavors. 

Hardly  any  man  in  Louisiana  was  better  qualified  for  a  Con- 
gressional career  at  the  close  of  the  civil  war  than  EANDALL 
GIBSON,  but  the  way  was  not  open  for  him  or  for  any  repre- 
sentative man  of  Louisiana  till  long  afterwards.  To  recall 
the  epoch  now  seems  like  reviving  a  painful  dream.  The  State 
of  Louisiana  was  fast  bound  in  misery  and  chains.  It  was 
held  in  the  iron  grasp  of  an  alien  rule  under  which  neither  its 
intelligence  nor  property  had  a  voice.  The  State  had  been 
left  by  the  war  literally  a  wreck  and  a  desolation. 

The  work  of  rebuilding  the  waste  places,  the  restoration  of 
paralyzed  industries,  the  reorganization  of  society,  education, 
and  the  like  would  have  been  a  herculean  task  under  the  best 
auspices  and  by  the  best  of  men,  but  nothing  was  done  to 
evoke  the  best  forces,  and,  on  the  contrary,  everything  to 
wound,  to  oppress,  and  to  retard  the  healthful  process  of 
recovery.  It  was  not  until  1872  that  EANDALL  GIBSON  could 
be  elected  to  this  House,  and  even  then  he  was  not  admitted. 
In  1874  he  was  chosen  by  the  First  district  of  Louisiana,  and 
took  his  seat  in  December,  1875,  as  a  member  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Congress.  The  House  was  full  of  strong  men.  Among 
its  members  were  Kerr,  Sayler,  Blackburn,  Cox,  Garfield, 
Holmau,  Lamar,  Elaine,  Morrison,  Randall,  Tucker,  Alex.  H. 
Stephens,  and  GIBSON'S  gifted  colleague,  B.  John  Ellis,  of 
Louisiana. 

But  if  the  actors  on  the  stage  were  able  and  brilliant,  the 
themes  were  even  greater.  Party  passion  ran  high.  The 
feelings  of  the  war  had  only  slightly  subsided.  The  Southern 
States  were  only  slowly  and  painfully  regaining  their  equality 
in  the  Union.  Three  of  the  number,  including  Louisiana,  were 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  77 

yet  struggling  for  home  rule,  the  rule  of  the  taxpayer,  and  for 
a  staple  and  economical  government  suited  to  an  impoverished 
people,  for  the  right  to  work  and  accumulate  free  from  wanton 
spoliation.  There  were  strong  prejudices  to  be  disarmed,  the 
prejudices  of  a  powerful  party  that  had  long  held  the  National 
Government. 

The  situation  was  complicated  by  the  pending  of  a  heated 
Presidential  struggle  which  threatened  the  country  with  a 
civil  war,  not  between  sections  but  nearly  balanced  parties. 
When  was  there  ever  a  condition  that  imposed  graver  duties 
and  responsibilities  on  a  representative  of  Louisiana  or 
required  more  of  wisdom,  judgment,  strategy,  self-control, 
diplomatic  tact,  and  resources  than  this  ?  and  yet  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  Representative  GIBSON  proved  himself  equal 
to  the  occasion.  He  had  had  no  previous  legislative  experi- 
ence, but  his  education  and  studies  were  profound,  and  he  soon 
proved  himself  a  natural  parliamentarian  and  man  of  affairs. 

At  the  outset  of  his  legislative  career  General  GIBSON, 
whose  aim  was  to  avoid  violent  controversies,  and  by  appeals 
to  reason  of  both  parties  to  accomplish  results  for  the  general 
good,  found  himself  forced  to  meet  repeated  assaults  upon  his 
State  and  constituents  involving  their  good  name  and  conduct. 
One  of  his  earliest  speeches  in  Congress  was  a  vindication  of 
Louisiana  in  connection  with  the  election  of  1876  for  President 
and  State  officers,  and  thus  it  became  necessary  to  review  the 
work  of  the  famous  returning  board.  He  discharged  this 
unpleasant  duty  with  frankness  and  plain  speech,  but  he  put 
the  cause  of  his  State  with  a  spirit  of  justice,  moderation,  and 
fairness  that  could  not  fail  to  impress  the  House  and  public 
opinion.  He  spoke  from  the  standpoint  of  a  national  and  con- 
servative statesman,  accepting  the  logic  of  events  and  the 
results  of  the  war  so  disastrous  to  the  South,  accepting  eman- 
cipation and  the  equal  political  rights  of  the  two  races  as  a 


78  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

basis  of  action,  disclaiming  sectionalism,  deprecating  it,  and 
pleading  for  peace  and  justice  to  his  people.  He  never  de- 
parted from  this  keynote  of  policy  throughout  his  career,  not 
even  in  denouncing  bayonet  rule  and  the  use  of  troops  at  the 
polls. 

It  was  this  admirable  temper  and  national  spirit,  joined  to 
his  high  character  and  rare  power  in  personal  intercourse  with 
men,  that  enabled  him  to  appeal  successfully  to  President 
Grant  at  the  most  critical  moment  in  the  history  of  Louisiana, 
and  to  stay  the  effort  that  was  made  to  induce  President  Grant 
to  employ  the  army  to  crush  out  the  rightful  government  of 
the  State.  The  struggle  of  the  friends  of  the  Packard  gov- 
ernment to  win  General  Grant  in  this  juncture  was  incessant. 
The  strongest  influence  wielded  against  them,  as  they  well 
recognized,  was  that  of  Bepresentative  GIBSON.  Both  under 
the  administration  of  President  Grant  and  President  Hayes 
there  were  men  who  rendered  most  invaluable  service,  but 
there  is  no  one  to  whom  Louisiana  is  more  deeply  indebted  for 
her  final  deliverance  than  GIBSON.  He  had  the  respect  of 
President  Hayes,  who  freely  consulted  him.  There  was  nothing 
loud  or  ostentatious  in  this  great  service.  Like  most  of  the 
potent  work  in  public  life,  it  was  rendered  quietly,  but  it  was 
none  the  less  effective.  Then  once  more  with  the  light  of  hope 
upon  their  brows  the  sons  of  Louisiana  began  to  plant,  to  sow, 
and  to  reap.  Anarchy,  misrule,  and  despair  gave  place  to  order 
and  progress. 

But  aside  from  all  sentimental  questions  and  the  transcend- 
ent issue  of  local  self-government,  and  both  before  and  after  its 
final  adjudication,  the  most  difficult  duties  devolved  upon  a 
representative  of  Louisiana.  These  were  not  party  questions, 
but  they  were  not  less  difficult  of  adjustment  and  demanded 
the  most  unwearied  and  skillful  devotion.  Among  the  most 
important  of  these  issues  which  required  General  GIBSON'S  con 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  79 

stant  care  from  the  day  he  entered  this  House  during  his  four 
terms  of  service  and  in  the  Senate  after  he  entered  that  body 
in  March,  1883,  were  the  protection  of  the  great  sugar  inter- 
est of  Louisiana  and  the  question  of  the  improvement  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  Both  were  vital  to  Louisiana  and  important 
to  the  whole  Union.  But  he  thoroughly  understood  them,  and 
in  knowledge  of  each  he  had  hardly  a  peer  in  either  branch  of 
Congress.  To  detail  the  successive  steps  of  his  labors  on  these 
questions  would  be  to  repeat  their  history  for  a  series  of  years. 
I  can  barely  glance  at  a  work  so  familiar  to  his  contemporaries 
in  Congress. 

The  sugar  industry  of  Louisiana  before  the  civil  war  had 
grown  to  large  proportions  and  supplied  one-half  of  the  Ameri- 
can consumption.  By  the  havoc  of  war  and  emancipation  it 
had  been  reduced  to  almost  nothing,  but  was  now  gradually 
expanding.  Upon  its  maintenance  and  development  depended 
the  subsistence  and  prosperity  of  nearly  half  of  the  people  of 
the  State,  but  this  development  it  was  vain  to  expect  under 
hostile  tariffs.  All  through  the  earlier  period  of  American  his- 
tory down  to  a  recent  date  the  propriety  and  necessity  of  the 
duty  upon  sugar  had  been  questioned  by  no  party  or  states- 
man. It  was  a  prominent  feature  in  every  tariff  for  a  hundred 
years.  But  soon  after  General  GIBSON  took  his  place  on  the 
Ways  and  Means  Committee  in  the  Forty-fifth  Congress  he 
found  himself  confronted  with  measures  involving  changes  in 

the  revenue  laws. 

i 

The  wisdom  and  lessons  of  the  past  were  only  partially 
remembered,  and  this  interest  so  important  to  his  State  was 
imperiled  by  repeated  assaults  and  propositions  which,  if  car- 
ried, would  have  wrought  a  fresh  desolation  in  Louisiana.  He 
was  a  friend  to  the  policy  of  a  revenue  tariff  and  moderate 
duties,  for  he  had  been  a  wise  student  of  economic  science,  but 
for  that  very  reason  he  demanded  a  fair  revenue  duty  on  sugar. 


80  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

He  was  not  willing  to  see  Louisiana  sacrificed  to  foster  the 
interests  of  Cuba,  Jamaica,  or  any  otlier  country.  As  far  back  as 
1876  lie  opposed  the  passage  of  the  legislation  devised  to  cai'ry 
out  the  Hawaiian  reciprocity  treaty,  which  he  deemed  injurious 
to  American  interests.  His  labors  for  the  sugar  industry  in  the 
committee,  in  speeches  on  the  floor,  and  with  individual  mem- 
bers of  both  parties  engrossed  much  of  his  time  and  energies. 
He  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  numerous  details  and  intri- 
cacies of  these  duties,  and  he  knew  the  history  of  the  contest 
and  the  past  legislation.  He  had  the  skill  to  grasp  a  difficult 
situation,  to  combine  favors  and  influences,  to  judge  what 
could  be  done  and  how  to  do  it;  how  much  to  yield  and  how 
much  he  could  fairly  demaud.  No  cunning  device  of  unfriendly 
interests  escaped  his  watchful  vigilance.  He  was  always  on 
guard  and  always  at  the  front.  He  was  the  recognized  leader 
of  this  interest  in  Congress  every  day  and  hour  of  his  service, 
but  it  was  as  a  public  officer  and  not  as  a  planter  to  be  per- 
sonally benefited;  for  he  never  had  the  capital  to  restore  his 
old  plantation.  The  final  adoption  of  the  polariscope  test  was 
largely  due  to  his  early  and  constant  advocacy  of  its  merits 
and  necessity  to  protect  the  revenue  and  prevent  fraud.  The 
whole  subject  of  this  industry  was  to  Congress  a  new  discus- 
sion, but  he  illuminated  it  with  a  flood  of  light. 

Not  less  valuable  were  General  GIBSON'S  wise  services  in 
respect  to  the  legislation  happily  enacted  by  Congress  to  har- 
ness the  forces  of  that  mighty  current  well  termed  the  "Father 
of  Waters,"  to  make  it  the  great  artery  of  a  vast  and  increas- 
ing commerce,  to  prevent  its  ravages  and  destructive  floods, 
and  to  make  it  an  ally  to  civilization  and  industry,  a  blessing 
to  man  instead  of  a  curse.  The  genius  of  Captain  James  B. 
Eads  had  already  pointed  out  the  way  to  open  the  closed  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  liberal  hand  of  Congress  respond- 
ing to  the  call  of  the  great  valley  had  provided  the  means 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  8 1 

One  of  Kepresentative  GIBSON'S  earliest  steps  in  Congress  was 
to  aid  in  supplementing  this  legislation  by  modifications  which 
enabled  Eads  to  continue  his  work,  to  expedite  it,  and  push  it 
forward  till,  to  use  the  words  of  GIBSON  himself,  "  the  jetties 
were  a  perfect  success."  But  the  main  problem,  namely,  the 
treatment  of  the  great  river  from  Cairo,  or  indeed  from  its  head 
waters  to  the  Gulf,  remained  to  be  solved. 

The  most  eminent  hydraulic  engineers  of  the  country  had 
made  its  forces  and  phenomena  a  study  and  had  differed  as  to 
the  remedy  to  be  applied.  The  best  thoughts  of  the  best  minds 
of  the  South  and  West  in  Congress  at  this  time  were  exercised 
upon  the  two  great  questions:  first,  what  plan  of  treatment 
for  the  river  should  be  adopted;  and  next,  supposing  some 
mode  to  be  preferred,  how  could  Congress  be  induced  to  grant 
the  ample  means  needed  to  carry  out  the  plan.  For  a  long 
period  efforts  had  been  made  to  induce  Congress  to  rebuild  the 
levees,  but  all  these  efforts  had  failed.  Captain  Eads  had  for 
years  insisted  on  the  policy  of  concentration  of  the  waters  and 
obtaining  a  uniform  width  for  the  river;  but  there  were  so 
many  conflicting  opinions  and  plans  that  it  seemed  vain  to  ask 
Congress  to  adopt  any  one  of  them. 

Amid  all  this  confusion  of  counsels  it  was  the  happy  concep- 
tion of  General  GIBSON  to  propose  a  scientific  commission,  to 
be  composed  of  the  ablest  men  engaged  in  the  public  service 
and  in  private  life,  who  should  examine  the  river  with  a  view 
to  the  improvement  of  its  navigation,  the  prevention  of  floods, 
and  the  promotion  of  commerce,  and  after  considering  the  dif- 
ferent plans  and  methods  suggested  to  report  to  the  Secretary 
of  War  a  plan  of  comprehensive  improvement.  It  was  this 
plan  of  a  commission  that  was  finally  adopted  by  Congress, 
and  to  it  the  country  is  indebted  for  the  most  beneficent  results 
already  accomplished  and  for  the  assured  prospect  of  final 
realization  of  one  of  the  greatest  works  of  modern  civilization. 
S.  Mis.  178 6 


82  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

Yet  this  wise  law  was  not  passed  until  after  years  of  persistent 
struggle  by  its  friends. 

Out  of  tbe  many  able  and  zealous  friends  of  tbis  policy  in 
Congress  from  all  sections  of  the  country  who  contributed  to 
its  adoption  and  maintenance,  Eepresentative  GIBSON  was 
most  conspicuous  by  tbe  earnestness,  fullness  of  information, 
and  power  which  he  brought  to  the  discussion,  and  by  the 
ceaseless  vigilance  and  strategy  with  which  he  guarded  the 
River  Commission  against  all  attempts  to  impair  its  powers 
and  usefulness.  The  plan  of  treatment  for  the  river  adopted 
by  the  Commission  was  mainly  the  one  advocated  by  Captain 
Eads  and  in  which  General  GIBSON  fully  believed.  The  mind 
in  Congress  which  expounded  and  defended  the  plan  of  the 
Commission  and  the  arm  which  upheld  it,  Eads  always  recog- 
nized as  GIBSON'S.  The  names  of  both  men  are  linked  insep- 
arably with  this  great  measure.  How  eloquently  does  it  con- 
trast with  the  fruitless  strifes  and  bitter  phrases  of  lesser 
minds'?  Who  shall  set  bounds  to  its  blessings  or  put  too  high 
a  value  on  the  patriotism  of  those  who  carried  it  on  to  its  high 
consummation  ? 

I  need  not  review  the  work  of  General  GIBSON  on  other  ques- 
tions as  a  Representative  and  a  Senator.  The  location  of  the 
mint  at  New  Orleans,  the  establishment  of  closer  commercial 
relations  with  Mexico  and  South  America,  the  general  work  of 
river  and  harbor  improvement,  the  reformation  of  the  tariff, 
questions  of  the  currency,  the  educational  bill,  the  work  of  the 
Agricultural  Bureau,  the  forfeiture  of  the  laud  grant  of  the 
Backbone  Railroad  Company — these  and  many  other  topics 
were  the  objects  of  his  care.  He  labored  unsuccessfully  to 
curtail  the  secret  sessions  of  the  Senate  and  to  repeal  the 
objectionable  statute  which  disfranchises  all  ex-Confederates 
for  positions  in  the  Federal  Army. 

He  never  spoke  for  mere  display.     No  small  part  of  the  most 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  83 

valuable  work  of  a  Representative  is  done  in  committee  or  in 
personal  intercourse  with  his  associates  or  with  the  President 
and  heads  of  Departments.  General  GIBSON'S  influence  in  all 
these  directions  was  unusual.  He  neglected  none  of  the  hon- 
orable instrumentalities  essential  to  success.  He  had  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  every  President  from  Grant  to  the  pres- 
ent occupant  of  the  chair.  His  personal  relations  with  such 
eminent  men  as  Beck,  Morrison,  Randall,  Carlisle,  Bayard, 
Lauiar,  Tilden,  Andrew  White,  Evarts,  Sherman,  Garfield, 
Hayes,  Cameron,  and  Elaine  were  such  as  few  enjoyed.  The 
value  to  his  people  of  such  relations  of  confidence  is  too 
obvious  to  be  insisted  on. 

RANDALL  GIBSON  was  an  educated  man  and  a  scholar.  He 
took  the  deepest  interest  in  every  scheme  for  educating  the 
youth  of  the  South,  for  none  knew  better  than  he  the  value  of 
such  education  and  how  greatly  the  opportunities  for  acquir- 
ing it  had  been  cut  off  by  the  waste  of  the  war  and  the  wide- 
spread poverty  of  the  people.  It  came  to  him,  therefore,  like 
a  benediction  when  Paul  Tulane,  then  living  at  Princeton,  !N". 
J.,  but  a  former  resident  of  New  Orleans,  sought  his  aid  and 
counsel  in  carrying  into  practical  effect  his  noble  and  benevo- 
lent plan  of  making  a  large  donation  for  the  ''encouragement 
of  intellectual,  moral,  and  industrial  education  among  the 
white  young  persons  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans."  Mr.  Tulane 
could  not  have  found  a  wiser  or  more  sympathetic  adviser  than 
RANDALL  GIBSON.  He  formulated  the  method  and  plan  on 
which  the  donation  was  to  be  made  and  defined  the  purpose 
to  which  it  was  to  be  applied. 

As  has  been  said  by  one  who  well  knew  whereof  he  spoke: 

He  selected  the  men  whom  Mr.  Tulane  associated  with  himself  as  the 
trustees  of  his  sacred  gift.  As  president  of  the  administration,  he  im- 
pressed on  each  and  every  one  of  them  his  own  high  sense  of  the  gravity 
of  the  functions  with  which  they  were  charged.  He  was  the  electric  cord 


84  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

which  connected  them  directly  with  Paul  Tulane,  and  maintained  that 
perfect  harmony  and  confidence  between  them  which  led  to  the  constant 
enlargement  of  his  bounty.  His  wisdom  selected  the  distinguished  man 
who  as  president  of  the  university  has  organized  its  splendid  faculty,  has 
shaped  its  course  of  study,  has  planned  its  methods  and  degrees,  and  has 
in  all  respects  conducted  its  affairs  with  such  signal  sagacity  and  success. 

Iii  a  word,  the  character  and  intellect  of  RANDALL  GIBSON 
are  thoroughly  impressed  upon  this  munificent  foundation  of 
the  noble  philanthropist.  This  institution  was  the  object  of 
General  GIBSON'S  love  and  solicitude  even  to  his  latest  breath. 

Early  in  November,  1892,  Senator  GIBSON,  then  in  New 
Orleans,  was  seized  with  a  recurrence  of  the  malady  which  had 
so  many  years  preyed  upon  him.  His  physician  ordered  him 
to  the  Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas,  where  oil  a  former  occasion 
he  had  found  much  benefit  He  went  there  under  the  care  of 
a  devoted  friend,  and  at  first  he  seemed  to  improve.  But  this 
was  only  illusory.  His  disease  had  approached  nearer  and 
nearer  the  citadel  of  life.  His  powers  of  resistance  had  waned 
till  nothing  was  left  but  to  yield  with  composure  and  courage 
to  the  last  dread  summons.  He  passed  away  on  the  15th  of 
December,  1892,  surrounded  by  those  whom  of  the  living  he 
loved  best.  Death  did  not  find  him  unprepared.  His  dear 
wife,  whose  name  in  his  last  moments  was  so  often  on  his  lips, 
had  preceded  him  years  before  to  the  better  land.  He  had 
realized  for  many  mouths  how  frail  was  his  tenure  of  life,  and 
he  had  made  calmly  all  his  arrangements  for  his  last  journey. 
The  love  and  care  of  his  surviving  children  were  much  indeed 
to  live  for;  br.t  his  public  career  was  well  rounded  and  com- 
plete. It  lacked  nothing  in  its  perfect  symmetry. 

Hardly  any  man  of  our  day  had  had  a  better  or  higher  con- 
ception of  statesmanship.  He  was  always  a  student  of  aftairs, 
of  history,  of  religion,  morals,  and  conduct.  Everything 
relating  to  the  foundations  of  government,  and  especially  our 
own  Government,  he  had  studied.  He  was  familiar  with 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  85 

ancient  aiid  modern  history,  with  the  lives  and  writings  of 
Washington,  Jefferson,  Hamilton,  and  all  the  great  men  of 
the  Republic,  and  with  what  may  be  called  the  classics  of 
politics.  Whether  in  debate  or  private  intercourse  he  was 
effective.  As  a  speaker  he  was  direct,  argumentative,  per- 
suasive. He  brought  to  bear  all  the  resources  of  legitimate 
debate;  but  he  was  careful  not  to  wound  the  feelings  or 
impugn  the  motives  of  his  opponents.  His  retort  might  dis- 
arm, but  left  no  sting.  His  gentleness,  tact,  and  consideration 
for  others  was  conspicuous  in  public  and  private  life.  He 
spoke  well,  yet  he  was  -eminently  practical.  He  aimed  in 
action  not  so  much  to  destroy  as  to  build  up  and  create;  in 
speech  to  conciliate  and  convince.  He  understood  the  arts  of 
government,  the  necessity  for  compromise,  and  the  value  of 
peace  with  honor. 

Hardly  any  man  from  the  South  of  late  years  has  so  much 
impressed  himself  on  legislation.  In  his  public  relations  Gen- 
eral GIBSON,  without  being  repellant,  bore  himself  usually  with 
a  certain  degree  of  stateliness  and  reserve.  But  in  the  society 
of  his  friends  no  one  could  be  more  natural,  frank,  engaging, 
and  companionable.  He  enjoyed  social  intercourse,  but  no 
one  was  more  abstemious  or  free  from  dissipation.  He  was  a 
man  of  clear  morals  and  speech,  and  was  imbued  with  the 
profoundest  respect  for  religion  and  virtue.  Bigotry  he  had 
none.  He  believed  in  religious  liberty  in  the  largest  and  best 
sense.  As  a  friend  he  was  kind,  sympathetic,  instructive;  as 
a  man  of  society,  courteous  and  conciliatory;  as  a  husband 
and  father,  tender,  affectionate,  and  true. 

His  life  was  gentle,  aiid  the  elements 

So  mix'd  in  him,  that  nature  might  stand,  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world,  "  This  was  a  man ! " 

If  he  had  ambition,  who  shall  blame  him  ?  It  was  an  ambi- 
tion not  low,  nor  selfish,  nor  sordid.  It  inspired  him  to  serve 


86  Address  of  Mr.  Meyer,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

his  State  and  the  Union,  to  help  to  build  up  an  impoverished 
and  suffering  section,  and  to  increase  the  happiness  and  prog- 
ress of  mankind.  It  is  by  such  generous  aspirations  that 
humanity  advances  to  successive  triumphs  and  states  become 
great  and  opulent. 

A  man  will  sometimes  unconsciously  reveal  his  own  nature 
in  describing  another's.  We  find  a  broad  light  cast  upon  the 
formative  influences  that  shaped  the  character  of  our  departed 
friend  in  his  own  eulogy  upon  the  late  Thomas  H.  Herndon,  of 
Alabama.  Said  he : 

As  a  general  rule,  public  men  are  the  logical  expressions  of  the  tone  and 
temper,  the  outgrowth  of  the  local  conditions  and  habits  and  culture  and 
institutions,  of  the  people,  and  indicate  their  characteristics  and  qualities 
as  surely  as  certain  plants  and  fruits  and  trees  do  particular  climates. 
His  family  [Mr.  Herndon's]  had  emigrated  from  Fredericksburg,  a  part 
of  the  Old  Dominion  which  had  been  prolific  in  men  celebrated  for  all  the 
virtues  that  adorn  human  nature,  as  well  as  polished  manners  and  intel- 
lectual accomplishments.  They  belonged  to  the  country  people  of  Vir- 
ginia who  have  given  to  the  world  names  that  command  its  admiration 
and  homage.  *  *  *  Inheriting  traditions  so  elevating  and  represent- 
ing a  people  themselves  intelligent,  brave,  and  virtuous,  how  could  he 
prevaricate,  or  attempt  to  deceive  or  descend  to  subterfuge,  or  play  the 
demagogue,  or  betray  any  trust,  or  fail  of  duty  anywhere,  or  his  name  be 
less  than  it  was — the  synonym  for  honor. 

On  another  occasion  we  find  him  laying  a  flower  upon  the 
grave  of  a  departed  colleague,  Michael  Hahn,  of  Louisiana. 
He  cited  a  passage  taken  from  Festus  by  Mr.  Hahu  in  a  pub- 
lished address,  and  said  he  doubted  not  that  the  noble  senti- 
ments therein  expressed  found  a  lodgment  in  his  memory 
because  his  heart  beat  responsive  to  them,  and  that  they 
inspired  the  aspirations  of  his  life.  These  words  match  well 
and  fitly  the  soul  and  aims  of  him  of  whom  we  speak  to-day : 

Life  is  more  than  breath  and  the  quick  round  of  blood; 

It  is  a  great  spirit  and  a  busy  heart. 

The  coward  and  the  small  in  soul  scarce  do  live. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  87 

One  generous  feeling — one  great  thought — one  deed. 

Of  good,  ere  night,  would  make  life  longer  seem 

Than  if  each  year  might  number  a  thousand  days 

Spent  as  this  is  by  nations  of  mankind. 

We  live  in  deeds,  not  years ;  in  thoughts,  not  breaths ; 

In  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  the  dial. 

We  should  count  time  by  heart-throbs.     He  most  lives 

Who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR,  BLAND,  OF  MISSOURI. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  I  first  knew  the  late  Senator  GIBSON  as  a 
member  of  the  Forty-fourth  Congress.  I  believe  he  was  elected, 
if  I  mistake  not,  to  the  Forty-third,  the  first  Congress  in  which 
I  served  in  this  House,  but  did  not  take  his  seat.  It  was  during 
the  Forty-fourth  Congress  that  the  great  question  of  the  coin- 
age of  the  standard  silver  dollar  was  first  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  country.  Mr.  GIBSON,  in  that  Congress,  took  an 
active  part  in  the  discussion  of  the  currency  question,  and 
especially  of  the  silver  question.  That  Congress  authorized  a 
joint  commission  to  investigate  that  subject,  composed  of  three 
members  on  the  part  of  the  House  and  three  on  the  part  of  the 
Senate.  The  House  appointed  General  GIBSON,  Mr.  George 
Willard,  of  Michigan,  and  myself,  and  on  the  part  of  the  Sen- 
ate the  commission  consisted  of  Mr.  Jones  of  Nevada,  Mr. 
Bogy  of  Missouri,  and  Mr.  Boutwell  of  Massachusetts.  This 
commission  made  an  investigation  of  that  subject,  the  result 
of  which  is  known  to  the  country. 

I  remember  very  well  General  GIBSON'S  part  in  that  com- 
mission. His  scholarly  services  showed  that  he  had  fully 
investigated  the  subject  and  had  an  uncommon  grasp  of  the 
theory  of  money.  Although  I  differed  with  him  in  that  report 
and  upon  the  question,  yet  no  one  who  knew  him  ever  doubted 
his  honesty  and  sincerity. 


88          Address  of  Mr.  Henderson,  of  Illinois,  on  the 

Those  who  served  with  General  GIBSON  in  the  Forty-fourth, 
Forty-fifth,  Forty-sixth,  and  Forty-seventh  Congresses — for  I 
think  he  was  here  eight  years — remember  well  the  part  that 
he  took  in  procuring  legislation  for  the  opening  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Eiver  to  navigation,  the  great  ability  that  he  displayed 
in  advocating  the  construction  of  the  jetties,  cooperating  with 
that  greatest  of  civil  engineers  during  his  life,  James  B.  Eads. 

I  can  remember  full  well  the  many  speeches  that  General 
GIBSON  made  in  advocacy  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver  Commis- 
sion. That  was  one  of  his  great  labors  in  this  House — a  labor 
which  has  been  rewarded  with  great  success. 

Mr.  Speaker,  it  was  not  my  intention  to  undertake  to  eulo- 
gize the  memory  of  General  GIBSON,  but  simply  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  most  prominent  parts  that  he  took  as  a  member  of 
this  House.  We  all  recognized  his  great  abilities,  his  great 
zeal,  his  earnestness  of  purpose.  He  was  a  man  of  scholarly 
attainments,  of  indefatigable  industry,  always  amiable  and 
affable;  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  and  under  all  circumstances 
a  gentleman.  Peace  to  his  ashes! 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HENDERSON,  OF  ILLINOIS. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  The  late  Senator  RANDALL  L.  GIBSON,  of 

4 

Louisiana,  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Forty-fourth  Congress 

and  took  his  seat  in  December,  1875,  at  the  same  time  I  did — 

/ 
he  on  the  Democratic  and  I  on  the  Republican  side  of  the 

House.  Looking  over  the  list  of  members  of  that  Congress 
to-day  it  will  be  found  that  but  seven  of  all  the  members  who 
served  with  Senator  GIBSON  in  the  Forty-fourth  Congress  now 
remain  in  the  public  service  as  members  of  this  body.  They 
are  Judge  Holman  of  Indiana,  Mr.  Bland  of  Missouri,  General 
Harmer  of  Pennsylvania,  Judge  Culberson  of  Texas,  and  Mr. 
Cannon,  Mr.  Springer,  and  myself,  of  Illinois. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson,  89 

Six  members  who  served  with  Senator  GIBSON  in  the  House 
as  members  of  the  Forty-fourth  Congress  were  serving  witli 
him  in  the  Senate  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  still  remain 
Senators,  viz,  Senator  Hoar  of  Massachusetts,  Senators  Frye 
and  Hale  of  Maine,  Senator  Blackburn  of  Kentucky,  Senator 
Mills  of  Texas,  and  Senator  Hun  ton  of  Virginia.  And  so,  Mr. 
Speaker,  there  are  to-day  but  seven  members  of  this  body  and 
but  six  members  of  the  Senate  who  were  associated  with  Sena- 
tor GIBSON  as  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  the 
Forty-fourth  Congress.  Such  are  the  changes  among  those  who 
make  the  laws  of  the  laud. 

Many  members  of  the  Forty-fourth  Congress,  I  trust,  still 
survive,  and  are  enjoying  the  quiet  of  private  life,  free  from 
the  noise  and  dissension  of  political  strife,  and  free  from  the 
care  and  anxiety  which  a  faithful  public  servant  in  the  con- 
scientious discharge  of  his  public  duties  must  ever  feel.  Quite 
a  large  number,  like  the  distinguished  Senator  to  whose 
memory  we  pay  tribute  to-day,  have  passed  away,  and  are 
now  safely  over  the  other  shore,  where  we  know  we  must 
sooner  or  later  join  them.  But  Senator  GIBSON  was  not  only 
a  member  of  the  Forty-fourth  Congress,  but  was  reelected  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Forty-fifth,  Forty-sixth,  and  Forty- 
seventh  Congresses,  and  at  the  close  of  his  fourth  term  in  the 
House,  having  been  elected  a  member  of  the  Senate,  he  took 
his  seat  in  that  body  and  remained  in  the  Senate  until  the  day 
of  his  death.  I  can  not  say,  Mr.  Speaker,  that  I  was  at  all 
intimate  with  Senator  GIBSON,  either  while  he  was  a  member 
of  this  body  or  after  he  became  a  Senator.  But  from  our  first 
meeting  as  members  of  the  Forty-fourth  Congress  I  had  a 
.  pleasant  acquaintance  with  him  and  knew  him  well,  and  he 
always  impressed  me  as  a  gentleman  of  high  character.  I  was 
not  associated  with  him  on  any  of  the  committees  of  the  House 
on  which  he  served,  and  it  is  there  where  we  have  the  best 


90  Address  of  Mr.  Henderson,  of  Illinois,  on  the 

opportunities,  I  have  thought,  of  observing  the  better  qualities 
and  real  worth  of  members.  But  he  was  a  man  of  ability,  and 
in  his  second  term  was  made  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Ways  and  Means,  and  again  served  as  a  member  of  that  com- 
mittee in  the  Forty-sixth  Congress. 

In  the  Forty-seventh  Congress,  the  House  being  Eepublican, 
he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Commerce,  that 
committee  then  having  not  only  its  present  jurisdiction,  but 
also  jurisdiction  over  rivers  and  harbors,  and  I  feel  entirely 
justified  in  saying  that  Senator  GIBSON  was  an  active,  intelli- 
gent, and  prominent  member  of  those  important  committees. 
I  however  remember  this  distinguished  gentleman  more  par- 
ticularly for  the  great  interest  he  took  in  the  improvement  of 
the  Mississippi  Eiver.  Eepresenting  as  he  did,  like  myself,  a 
district  bordering  on  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  and  feeling  a  deep 
interest  in  everything  relating  to  its  improvement,  as  both  of 
us  did,  we  were  in  that  way  brought  together  and  worked 
together  for  the  permanent  improvement  of  that  great  river, 
which  waters  one  of  the  greatest  and  richest  valleys  in  the 
world,  and  I  am  sure  no  one  took  deeper  interest  in  all  legis- 
lation relating  to  the  Mississippi  Eiver  and  its  improvement 
than  did  the  late  Senator  GIBSON. 

The  people  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  of  the  whole  country, 
as  I  believe,  are  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  the  legislation 
leading  to  the  creation  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver  Commission 
and  the  entering  upon  the  great  work  of  the  permanent  improve- 
ment of  the  river.  If  he  had  done  nothing  else,  his  public 
service  in  connection  with  the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi 
Eiver  alone  would  entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  and  respect  of 
the  country,  and  most  certainly  to  the  people  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley. 

As  a  native  of  the  South,  it  was  not  unnatural  that  Senator 
GIBSON  should  have  been  found  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate 
service  during  the  late  war. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  91 

I  am  riot,  Mr.  Speaker,  sufficiently  familiar  with  his  military 
service  to  refer  to  it  to-day,  particularly.  That  he  was  a  brave 
and  gallant  officer  and  served  with  great  distinction  the  cause 
he  believed  to  be  just  there  can  be  no  doubt.  The  tribute  paid 
to  his  memory  by  sorrowing  comrades  when  he  was  laid  away 
at  rest  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  was  touch- 
in  gly  beautiful,  and  showed  that  his  memory  was  revered  not 
only  by  them,  but  by  the  multitude  who  had  assembled  to 
honor  the  departed  citizen,  soldier,  and  Senator. 

Mr.  Speaker,  it  was  with  deep  regret  I  heard  of  the  death  of 
Senator  GIBSON  ;  I  followed  his  remains  to  their  last  resting 
place  with  sadness  and  sorrow.  He  was  a  pleasant,  courteous, 
dignified  gentleman,  liberally  educated  and  highly  cultured. 
He  was  an  honorable,  able,  and  faithful  Representative  and 
Senator  and  a  brave  and  gallant  soldier,  and  I  am  glad  to  have 
the  opportunity  of  uniting  with  his  friends  to-day  in  paying 
tribute  to  his  memory. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BOATNER,  OF  LOUISIANA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  In  the  death  of  RANDALL,  LEE  GIBSON 
Louisiana  lost  one  of  her  most  devoted  sons  and  most  valuable 
public  servants.  He  served  her  in  war  and  in  peace,  in  the 
camp  and  the  council,  always  with  devoted  loyalty  and  always 
acceptably.  He  possessed  the  confidence  of  her  people,  and 
now  that  death  has  silenced  detraction  and  removed  the  cause 
of  jealousy  which  always  attends  successful  careers,  no  one 
denies  that  he  deserved  it.  It  has  not  fallen  to  the  lot  of  any 
other  Representative  from  that  State  to  be  prominently  con- 
nected with  so  many  measures  of  vital  importance  to  her 
welfare. 

To  him  was  given  the  credit  by  the  late  Captain  James  B. 
Eads  for  the  success  of  the  legislation  which  promoted  the  con- 


92          Address  of  Mr.  Boatner,  of  Louisiana,  on  the 

struction  of  the  jetties  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  which 
have  been  of  such  inestimable  benefit  to  the  whole  valley.  No 
other  Senator  or  Representative  could  claim  equal  effectiveness 
with  him  in  the  adoption  by  Congress  of  the  great  policy  of 
internal  improvements  which  promises  in  the  near  future  to 
redeem  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  ravages  of  over- 
flow and  restore  its  old-time  fruitful  abundance  of  production. 
Every  industry  and  interest  of  the  State  received  his  watchful 
and  tireless  care;  and  when  the  time  came  to  surrender  earthly 
responsibilities  he  could  well  have  said  that  his  services  to  his 
people  repaid  them  for  all  the  honors  they  had  conferred  upon 
him. 

General  GIBSON  was  not  only  the  watchful  guardian  of  the 
interests  of  his  adopted  State,  but  one  of  her  most  valuable 
contributions  to  the  councils  of  the  nation.  A  classical  and 
thorough  education,  broadened  by  contact  with  the  best  and 
highest  minds  of  the  age,  qualified  him  to  grapple  with  the 
great  questions  which  presented  themselves  for  settlement  in 
the  years  which  immediately  succeeded  the  war  between  the 
States.  Conservative  in  his  temper,  tolerant  of  the  views  of 
others,  but  firm  in  the  maintenance  of  his  own,  he  commanded, 
by  reason  of  his  distinguished  military  service  and  acquaintance 
with  the  leaders  of  thought  both  South  and  Xorth,  an  influence 
possessed  by  few  who  hailed  from  the  stricken  South.  That 
that  influence  was  wisely  used  is  attested  by  the  undiminished 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  colleagues  at  the  time  when  "he 
passed  over  the  river  to  rest  in  the  shade  of  the  trees."  One 
by  one  they  go — GIBSON,  COLQUITT,  VANCE.  Few  are  left, 
and  in  the  ordinary  course  of  nature  not  many  years  can  pass 
when  to  speak  with  jeers  of  the  "Confederate  brigadiers"  will 
be  to  insult  the  dead,  the  noble  dead,  who  have  illustrated  by 
their  lives  the  best,  the  noblest,  and  the  truest  traits  of  Amer- 
ican manhood.  The  time  will  come,  sir,  when  the  fame  of  those 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  93 

our  noble  dead  will  be  the  common  pride,  the  common  glory,  of 
the  American  people. 

General  GIBSON  was  as  admirable  in  private  life  as  he  was 
distinguished  as  a  soldier  and  a  statesmen.  It  was  not  my 
good  fortune  to  personally  know  the  lovely  and  accomplished 
woman  who  devoted  her  life  to  him;  but  I  am  justified  in  say- 
ing that  a  devoted  wife  found  in  him  a  loyal  and  devoted  hus- 
band. As  a  friend  he  was  most  thoughtful  and  considerate, 
shedding  the  light  of  a  benevolent  and  kindly  heart  upon  all 
to  whom  he  bore  that  relation. 

Reverently  and  tenderly  he  has  been  laid  to  rest  with  the 
kinsmen  and  friends  of  his  boyhood ;  a  brave  and  loyal  soldier, 
a  faithful  representative  of  the  people,  a  devoted  husband  and 
father,  a  benevolent  and  self-sacrificing  friend  and  Christian 
gentleman  has  gone  to  his  rest. 

Peace  to  his  ashes. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  WHEELER,  OF  ALABAMA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  The  resolutions  which  are  before  the  House 
bring  up  memories  of  many  years  ago.  They  recall  to  my 
mind  when  a  third  of  a  century  ago  I  first  met  Senator  RAN- 
DALL LEE  GIBSON,  and  it  has  been  my  privilege  and  pleasure 
to  be  intimately  associated  with  this  chivalrous  gentleman  for 
a  greater  part  of  the  time  up  to  the  date  of  his  death.  I  knew 
Senator  GIBSON  as  a  soldier,  brave,  chivalrous,  and  undaunted. 
I  knew  him  in  the  deadly  carnage,  always  leading  in  the  front 
of  battle,  always  courting  the  post  of  greatest  danger.  I  knew 
him  in  the  camp,  earnest  and  devoted  in  administering  to  the 
wants  of  his  men  and  performing  the  tedious  routine  of  duty. 
I  knew  him  on  the  march,  always  sharing-  with  his  devoted 
soldiers  labor,  fatigue,  suffering,  and  privation.  I  knew  him 
when  the  war  was  over  and  the  flag  of  the  Confederacy  was 


94  Address  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Alabama,  on  the 

trailed  in  the  dust,  broken  in  fortune,  but  uncouquered  iti 
spirit.  I  knew  him  as  a  gentleman,  gentle,  courteous,  urbane, 
and  loved  and  respected  by  everyone,  his  bearing  marked 
with  dignity  and  firmness  and  yet  the  perfection  of  simplic- 
ity and  unobtrusive  modesty,  a  striking  exemplification  of 
the  highest  type  of  manhood.  I  knew  him  as  a  husband 
and  father,  enjoying  the  pleasures  of  a  happy  family  home 
filled  with  reciprocal  feelings  of  love  and  devotion.  I  knew 
him  twenty-two  years  ago,  when,  after  a  terrific  struggle, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  this  body  and  commenced  his 
career  as  a  statesman  in  an  arena  to  which  he  brought  great 
natural  gifts,  cultured  by  diligent  study,  profound  thought, 
and  extensive  travel.  I  knew  him  in  the  strength  and  vigor 
of  powerful  manhood,  the  idol  of  his  State,  a  leader  among 
men,  an  honored,  esteemed  Senator  of  this  great  country.  I 
knew  him  when  the  outstretched  hand  of  death  beckoned  him 
to  the  shadow  under  which  we  all  must  pass. 

In  all  these  varied  conditions  and  relations  of  life  Senator 
GIBSON  shone  forth  and  seemed  to  illumine  any  sphere  in 
which  he  moved.  Whether  in  prosperity  or  adversity,  whether 
enjoying  bounteous  affluence  or  undergoing  financial  reverses 
which  the  ravages  of  war  brought  upon  him,  whether  as  a  pri- 
vate citizen  or  occupying  the  high  positions  of  general  and 
Senator,  he  was  the  same  dignified,  modest,  and  affable  gen- 
tleman. 

Senator  GIBSON  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of  distin- 
guished ancestors,  and  the  gentle  courtesy  which  character- 
ized him  was  his  by  inheritance  as  well  as  education.  He  was 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  his  father  having  married  in  early  life 
Miss  Louisiana  Hart,  of  Lexington,  and  here  in  the  home  of 
chivalry  and  culture  his  youthful  mind  expanded.  While  he 
was  still  very  young  his  parents  removed  to  Louisiana,  and 
from  that  time  he  became  identified  with  the  interests  of  his 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  95 

adopted  borne.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  Terre 
Bonne  and  Lexington,  and  Ms  collegiate  course  at  Yale  was 
supplemented  by  several  years  of  foreign  travel. 

Returning  home,  he  studied  law  at  the  University  of  Louisi- 
ana, but  he  did  not  at  once  enter  upon  the  arduous  details  of 
the  profession,  preferring  the  life  of  a  planter  5  but  the  stirring 
times  preceding  the  outbreak  of  war  forced  him  from  his 
retirement  and  drew  forth  all  the  noblest  qualities  of  his 
gifted  nature.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  raised  a  com- 
pany, and  was  soon  made  colonel  of  a  regiment.  Although 
untrained  in  military  affairs,  his  great  natural  qualities  made 
him  conspicuous  in  his  career,  as  he  would  have  been  in  any 
other  position. 

His  regiment,  the  Thirteenth  Louisiana,  gained  immortal 
renown  for  courage  and  heroism  from  the  time  it  first  met  the 
shock  of  battle  on  the  field  of  Shiloh. 

The  date  first  fixed  for  these  ceremonies  was  just  thirty-two 
years  after  the  close  of  the  terrible  struggle,  where  General 
GIBSON,  worn  and  weary,  begrimed  with  powder  and  smoke, 
was  triumphantly  completing  the  second  day  ,of  the  great 
battle  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Tennessee.  Only  the 
preceding  morning  he  had  received  his  baptism  of  blood,  and 
in  forty-eight  hours  had  earned  the  reputation  of  a  brave, 
intrepid,  and  skillful  brigade  commander.  In  the  many  battles 
in  which  that  army  afterwards  engaged  we  find  General 
GIBSON  always  brave  and  conspicuous,  and  frequently  men- 
tioned in  the  reports  of  the  commanders. 

In  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Perryville,  General  Adams 
speaks  of  the  gallant  service  and  military  skill  of  Senator 
GIBSON,  and  mentions  a  separate  communication  in  which  he 
recommends  him  for  promotion  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general 
for  the  distinguished  skill  and  valor  which  he  displayed  in  that 
hotly  contested  battle. 


96  Address  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Alabama,  on  the 

I  read  from  tlie  War  Records,  volume  16,  page  1124: 

The  praises  bestowed  in  my  report  for  gallant  service  ou  the  field  fell 
under  my  immediate  observation  in  the  cases  of  Colonel  R.  L.  GIBSON, 
Major  Austin,  and  Captain  Tracy. 

General  Adams  also  says : 

The  report  of  the  others  named  was  derived  from  the  regimental  reports. 
The  regimental  commanders  named  deserve  credit  for  the  manner  in  which 
they  moved  and  kept  their  commands  together.  The  Thirteenth  Louisiana, 
Colonel  GIBSON,  deserve  special  mention  for  the  promptness  with  which 
they  moved  forward,  the  alacrity  and  rapidity  with  which  they  pressed  the 
enemy  until  halted  by  my  command.  I  will  recommend  Colonel  GIBSON, 
for  skill  and  valor,  to  be  brigadier-general,  in  a  separate  communication. 

The  next  great  battle  of  that  army  was  Murfreesboro,  and 
here  again  we  find  General  GIBSON  very  distinguished.  The 
eminent  Major-General  John  C.  Breckinridge  speaks  of  Colonel 
GIBSON'S  marked  courage  and  skill  throughout  the  battle,  and 
General  Adams  speaks  of  his  conduct  in  a  charge  as  deserving 
the  highest  praise,  and  states  that  no  greater  courage  and  de- 
termination could  have  been  displayed.  General  Adams  also 
speaks  in  high  commendation  of  the  tenacity  with  which  Gen- 
era!  GIBSON  held  a  fiercely  assailed  position.  I  read  from 
General  Breckiuridge's  report,  War  Records,  volume  20,  page 
783: 

General  Adams  having  received  a  wound  while  gallantly  leading  his 
brigade,  the  command  devolved  upon  Colonel  R.  L.  GIBSON,  who  dis- 
charged its  duties  throughout  with  marked  courage  and  skill. 

On  page  793  of  the  same  volume,  General  Adams  gives  an 
account  of  the  charge  in  which  General  GIBSON  was  distin- 
guished in  these  words : 

The  conduct  of  the  officers  and  men  in  making  the  charge  and  holding 
the  position  as  long  as  they  did  deserves  the  highest  praise.  No  greater 
courage  or  determination  could  have  been  displayed. 

General  GIBSON  also  did  excellent  and  gallant  service  in  the 
various  engagements  during  the  summer  of  1863;  and  for  his 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  97 

eminent  service  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  he  was  highly 
commended  by  Major-General  Breckinridge,  who  stated  in  his 
report  that  the  country  was  indebted  to  him  for  the  courage 
and  skill  with  which  he  discharged  his  duties  in  that  great 
conflict.  I  read  from  General  Breckinridge's  report,  which  1 
find  in  the  War  Records,  volume  30,  page  201 : 

To  Brigadier-General  Stovall,  to  Colonel  Lewis,  who  succeeded  to  the 
command  of  Helms'  brigade,  and  to  Colonel  R.  L.  GIBSON,  who  succeeded 
to  the  command  of  Adams'  brigade,  the  country  is  indebted  for  the  cour- 
age and  skill  with  which  they  discharged  their  arduous  dutii  s. 

All  through  the  history  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  we  find 
General  GIBSON  repeatedly  mentioned  and  highly  commended ; 
in  the  War  Records,  volume  38,  page  767,  by  Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral Stephen  D.  Lee;  on  page  812  of  the  same  volume,  by 
Major-General  C.  L.  Stevenson ;  on  page  816,  the  same  volume, 
by  General  A.  P.  Stewart;  on  page  823,  by  General  M.  A.  Stov- 
all, and  on  page  846,  by  General  Alpheus  Baker. 

In  the  battle  of  May  25  General  GIBSON'S  brigade  bore  a 
very  conspicuous  part.  Major-General  H.  D.  Clayton,  in  his 
official  report,  volume  38,  page  833,  says : 

Three  lines  of  battle  of  the  enemy  came  forward  successively,  and  in 
turn  were  successively  repulsed.  Men  could  not  have  fought  better  or 
exhibited  more  cool  and  resolute  courage.  Not  a  man  except  the  wounded 
left  his  position.  The  engagement  lasted  uninterruptedly  until  night,  or 
more  than  two  hours,  and  when  the  enemy,  finally  withdrew  many  of  my 
men  had  their  last  cartridge  in  their  guns. 

In  the  many  battles  directly  in  front  of  Atlanta,  and  in  the 
sanguinary  battle  of  Jonesboro,  General  GIBSON  was  repeat- 
edly distinguished.  In  his  official  report  of  the  great  battle 
of  August  31,  Major-Geueral  Clayton  speaks  of  General  GIB- 
SON'S heroic  conduct  in  seizing  the  colors  of  one  of  his  regi- 
ments and  leading  a  charge  on  the  works  of  the  Federal  Army> 
conduct  which  General  Clayton  says  created  the  greatest 
S.  Mis.  178 7 


98  Address  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Alabama,  on  the 

enthusiasm   throughout  the  command.    1  read  from  General 
Clayton's  official  report.  War  Records,  volume  38,  page  822 : 

Brigadier-General  GIBSON,  seizing  the  colors  of  one  of  his  regiments, 
dashed  to  the  front  and  up  to  the  very  works  of  the  enemy.  This  conduct 
created  the  greatest  enthusiasm  throughout  his  command,  which  again, 
as  in  the  engagement  of  the  28th  of  July,  previously  mentioned,  moved 
against  a  salient  in  the  enemy's  works. 

Unfortunately  a  large  portion  of  the  whole  command  stopped  in  the  rifle 
pits  of  the  enemy,  behind  piles  of  rails  and  a  fence  running  nearly  parallel 
to  his  breastworks,  and  to  this  circumstance  I  attribute  the  failure  to  carry 
the  works.  Never  was  a  charge  begun  with  such  enthusiasm  terminated 
with  accomplishing  so  little.  This  gallant  brigade  lost  ono-half  its  num- 
bers. 

His  corps  commander,  General  Stephen  D.  Lee,  speaks  in 
the  highest  terms  of  General  GIBSON'S  brigade  in  the  Tennes- 
see campaign  in  the  fall  of  1864.  He  says : 

I  saw  them  around  Atlanta  and  in  Hood's  Nashville  campaign.  I  desig- 
nated GIBSON'S  brigade  to  cross  the  Tennessee  River  in  open  boats  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy,  near  Florence,  Ala.,  and  a  more  gallant  crossing  of 
any  river  was  not  made  during  the  war. 

At  the  desperate  and  bloody  battle  of  Franklin,  General 
GIBSON  won  the  highest  encomiums  from  General  Hood.  This 
distinguished  officer  stated  that  General  GIBSON  evinced  con- 
spicuous gallantry  and  ability  in  the  handling  of  his  troops. 
I  read  the  exact  language  of  General  Hood : 

General  GIBSON,  who  evinced  conspicuous  gallantry  and  ability  in  the 
handling  of  his  troops,  succeeded,  in  concert  Avith  Clayton,  in  checking 
and  staying  the  most  dangerous  shock,  which  always  follows  immediately 
after  a  rout,  GIBSON'S  brigade  and  McKinzie's  battery  of  Former's  battal- 
ion acting  as  rear  guard  of  the  rear  guard. 

In  the  conflict  around  Nashville  General  GIBSON  added  to 
his  already  high  reputation.  His  corps  commander,  General 
Lee,  speaks  of  the  gallant  conduct  of  GIBSON'S  soldiers  in 
that  great  struggle  and  of  General  GIBSON'S  superb  conduct 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  99 

in  checking  two  formidable  assaults  of  the  Federal  Army. 
General  Lee  says: 

At  Nashville,  when  Hood  was  defeated  by  Thomas,  GIBSON'S  brigade 
was  conspicuously  posted  on  the  left  of  the  pike  near  Overtoil  Hill,  and  I 
witnessed  their  driving  back,  with  the  rest  of  Clayton's  division,  two  for- 
midable assaults  of  the  enemy. 

I  recollect,  near  dark,  riding  up  to  the  brigade,  near  a  battery,  and  try- 
ing to  seize  a  stand  of  colors  and  lead  the  brigade  against  the  enemy.  The 
color-bearer  refused  to  give  up  his  colors  and  was  sustained  by  his  regi- 
ment. I  found  it  was  the  color-bearer  of  the  Thirteenth  Louisiana.  It 
was  GIBSON'S  Louisiana  brigade.  GIBSON  soon  appeared  at  my  side,  and 
in  admiration  of  such  conduct  I  exclaimed :  "GiBSON,  these  are  the  best 
men  I  ever  saw ;  you  take  them  and  check  the  enemy."  GIBSON  did  take 
them  and  did  check  the  enemy. 

It  is  not  singular  that  an  officer  who  in  many  battles  had  met 
the  highest  expectations  of  his  commanders  and  of  the  troops 
he  so  gallantly  led  should  be  selected  for  the  independent  com- 
mand of  the  troops  at  Spanish  Fort,  one  of  the  important 
defenses  of  Mobile.  In  this  position  General  GIBSON  dis- 
played the  eminent  qualities  which  had  made  him  distinguished 
throughout  the  war. 

General  Taylor  speaks  of  the  defense  of  Spanish  Fort  and 
the  retreat  conducted  by  General  GIBSON  as  one  of  the  best 
achievements  of  the  war.  I  read  from  his  Construction  and 
Reconstruction,  published  in  1877,  page  221 : 

General  R.  L.  GIBSON,  now  a  member  of  Congress  from  Louisiana,  held 
Spanish  Fort  with  2,500  men.  Fighting  all  day  and  working  all  night, 
GIBSON  successfully  resisted  the  efforts  of  the  immense  force  against  him 
until  the  evening  of  April  8,  when  the  enemy  effected  a  lodgment  threat- 
ening his  only  route  of  evacuation.  Under  instructions  from  Maury  he 
withdrew  his  garrison  in  the  night  to  Mobile,  excepting  his  pickets,  neces- 
sarily left.  GIBSON'S  stubborn  defense  and  skillful  retreat  make  this  one 
of  the  best  achievements  of  the  war. 

Iii  a  work  on  the  campaign  in  Mobile  by  General  Andrews, 
published  in  1866,  General  GIBSON,  the  commander  of  Spanish 


100         Address  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Alabama,  on  the 

Fort,  is  spoken  of  by  this  Federal  officer  in  the  highest  terms 
as  a  competent  and  active  officer  and  one  who  inspired  his 
troops  with  enthusiasm.  On  page  165  he  says : 

The  besiegers  and  garrison  alike  are  entitled  to  praise  for  constant  indus- 
try and  for  energy. 

The  garrison  commander,  General  GIBSON,  was  competent  and  active 
and  inspired  his  troops  with  enthusiasm.  He  was  highly  complimented 
by  his  superior  officers  for  his  conduct  during  the  siege. 

I  know  I  may  be  pardoned  for  dwelling,  as  I  have,  on  the 
military  career  of  General  GIBSON.  His  colleagues  in  the  Sen- 
ate and  House  knew  of  his  eminent  services  while  a  member 
of  this  House  and  also  during  his  career  as  a  Senator;  but, 
although  all  knew  he  was  a  distinguished  general,  very  few  of 
his  friends  were  so  informed  of  his  military  service  as  to  have 
a  full  appreciation  of  its  extent  and  character. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  returning  to  a  blighted  and  desolate 
home,  his  hopes  in  the  dust,  his  fortunes  broken,  he  took  up 
the  practice  of  law  and  soon  began  to  earn  fame  and  fortune 
in  his  new  vocation. 

The  breadth  of  his  mind  and  the  strength  of  his  will,  com- 
bined with  the  singular  fascination  which  he  exercised  on  those 
who  surrounded  him,  soon  placed  him  in  a  prominent  rank  of 
the  profession. 

He  was  elected  to  the  Forty -third  Congress,  but  was  de- 
prived of  his  seat.  He  was  again  elected  and  admitted  to  the 
Forty-fourth,  Forty-fifth,  Forty-sixth,  and  Forty-seventh  Con- 
gresses, and  while  still  serving  in  the  latter,  and  having  yet  a 
term  to  serve  in  the  Forty-eighth,  he  was  elected  to  the  Sen- 
ate in  1882,  and  reelected  at  the  end  of  that  term. 

Senator  GIBSON'S  services  to  his  State  have  endeared  him  to 
every  citizen  of  Louisiana.  In  the  darkest  hour  of  the  recon- 
struction period  it  was  well  for  his  people  that  this  brave,  good 
man  stood  at  the  helm  and  piloted  the  craft  into  safe  and 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  101 

quiet  waters.  It  was  by  his  strong  and  unswerving  influence 
that  the  Administration  was  persuaded  to  adopt  the  policy 
which  finally  enabled  Louisiana  to  arise  from  the  shackles 
which  had  well  nigh  crushed  her  to  destruction.  For  his  efforts 
in  this  direction,  for  his  able  advocacy  of  the  Eads  system  of 
opening  the  Mississippi,  and  for  his  cooperation  with  Mr. 
Tulane  in  the  location  of  the  great  university  at  ]S~ew  Orleans, 
he  merited  the  undying  gratitude  of  the  people  whose  beloved 
representative  he  was. 

For  a  long  time  Senator  GIBSON  suffered  from  the  malady 
which  finally  resulted  fatally,  and  several  years  before  his 
death  his  happy  home  was  broken  up  by  the  loss  of  his 
beloved  wife,  who  preceded  him  to  the  tomb. 

His  remains  were  taken  back  to  the  home  of  his  childhood 
and  deposited  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Lexington,  where 
repose  the  ashes  of  so  many  noble  and  distinguished  sous  of 
the  great  State  of  Kentucky.  Here,  surrounded  by  old  war- 
worn comrades  and  escorted  by  a  company  of  cadets  from  the 
Military  University  of  Kentucky,  he  was  laid  to  rest,  amid  the 
tears  and  blessings  of  the  old  and  the  young,  in  the  bosom  of 
his  native  and  well-beloved  home. 

In  looking  upon  the  mound  which  covers  the  mortal  remains 
of  Senator  GIBSON  we  involuntarily  recall  the  solemn  words 
of  Mrs.  Browning: 

Never,  sister,  never,  was  told  by  mortal  breath, 

What  they  behold 

O'er  whom  hath  rolled 
The  one  dark  wave  of  death. 

And  yet  while  it  is  an  infinite  decree  of  divine  wisdom 
that  we  should  have  no  tidings  from  beyond  the  tomb,  yet 
there  is  within  us  an  ever-living  spirit  which  whispers  of  a 
future  life  wherein  is  to  be  found  the  fullness  and  completion 
of  the  always-present  yearnings  and  aspirations  of  our  souls. 


102    Address  of  Mr.  Breckinridge,  of  Arkansas,  on  the 

It  is  a  consolation  to  Senator  GIBSON'S  family  and  friends  to 
know  that  lie  felt  these  yearnings  and  aspirations  in  all  their 
force,  and  that  he  had  full  trust  and  confidence  in  all  that 
Christians  believe  of  the  life  to  come. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BRECKINRIDGE,  OF  ARKANSAS. 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  Mr.  Speaker,  to  make  a  formal  address 
in  memory  of  my  deceased  friend,  the  late  Senator  from  Louis- 
iana. When  I  considered  the  relations  which  for  many  years 
I  had  maintained  with  him  and  the  ties  that  bound  his  family 
and  mine  together,  it  was  with  more  than  ordinary  pleasure 
that  I  consented  to  say  a  word  when  called  upon  to  do  so  by 
one  of  the  delegation  from  his  State.  The  details  of  his  career 
have  been  related  fully  and  admirably  by  those  who  have 
undertaken  that  part  of  these  appropriate  ceremonies.  Gen- 
eral GIBSON  was  a  man  whose  character  and  career  will  yield 
greater  fruit  and  receive  greater  admiration  as  they  are  con- 
tinuously and  closely  studied. 

In  the  course  of  a  life  not  very  prolonged  he  was  called  to 
discharge  varied  and  high  duties,  and  to  all  of  them  he  proved 
fully  equal.  He  was  a  man  of  such  various  gifts,  of  such  learn 
ing,  of  such  broad  and  perfect  culture,  that  he  would  have  been 
successful  in  any  calling  to  which  he  had  chosen  to  devote  his 
attention,  it  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that,  although  not 
trained  to  the  profession  of  arms,  he  should  have  received  the 
highest  praise  from  those  with  whom  he  served  as  well  as  from 
those  to  whom  he  was  opposed.  With  his  courage  and  sagacity 
it  was  not  a  lengthy  task  for  him  to  master  the  main  elements 
of  the  military  art. 

As  a  lawyer  he  was  successful,  but  his  equipment  was  such 
that  he  was  most  needed  by  his  people  to  serve  them  in  a  public 
capacity,  under  the  complicated  conditions  which  surrounded 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.          103 

them  at  the  close  of  the  civil  war.  After  all  that  has  been  said 
of  his  success,  after  all  that  has  been  said  of  his  achievements, 
I  think  I  can  truly  say  that  his  public  career  never  fully  taxed 
his  greatest  powers.  Of  all  the  men  in  public  life  with  whom 
I  have  been  associated  there  was  not  one  possessed  of  more 
fascinating  manners,  there  was  not  one  a  more  accomplished 
gentleman,  there  was  not  one  who  was  a  more  sagacious  and 
astute  man  than  EANDALL  L.  GIBSON. 

Whatever  were  his  successes — as  a  student  at  Yale  College, 
as  a  lawyer,  as  a  gentleman  adorning  the  most  cultivated 
society  in  Europe  and  in  this  country,  as  a  member  of  this 
House,  as  a  soldier,  and  as  a  Senator — I  have  always  believed 
that  General  GIBSON,  never  had  an  opportunity  of  publicly 
entering  upon  that  field  of  labor  which  was  best  suited  to  his 
talents.  That  is  the  field  of  diplomacy.  He  would  have  made 
a  great  Secretary  of  State.  No  man  of  his  day  was  better  fitted 
to  represent  his  country  in  its  foreign  relations.  He  was  pre- 
eminently a  wise  man  in  council.  He  was  thoroughly  familiar 
with  all  the  springs  and  impulses  of  the  human  heart.  Ener- 
getic in  action,  he  was  yet  a  man  of  reflection,  serene,  compre- 
hensive, and  far-reaching  judgment.  Of  his  military  career — 
and  few  men  did  more  hard  fighting  than  he — the  defense  of 
Mobile  will  be  considered  his  ablest  and  best  achievement. 

The  greater  the  task  to  which  he  had  to  address  himself  the 
greater,  apparently,  was  the  ease  with  which  his  mind  operated. 
I  never  knew  a  man  who  moved  with  greater  ease  than  he  did 
in  all  the  higher  elements  of  political  philosophy  and  practice. 
Broad  and  comprehensive,  he  seemed  to  omit  no  detail,  and 
yet  to  grasp  in  all  their  bearings  the  farthest  outlines  of  the 
greatest  public  questions  and  the  profoundest  principles  of 
public  policy. 

Sir,  I  shall  not  continue  these  remarks  at  length.  There 
were  just  one  or  two  points  that  I  desire  to  speak  of  that  had 
especially  impressed  themselves  upon  me  in  my  long  and  close 


104    Address  of  Mr.  Brecktnridge,  of  Arkansas,  on  the 

relations  with  Senator  GIBSON.  Our  families  have  maintained 
an  intimate  relationship  for  several  generations.  There  was 
kinship  between  us,  and  during  the  war  he  served  under  the 
command  of  my  father,  who  extended  to  him  the  same  affection- 
ate greeting  that  General  GIBSON  extended  to  me  when  I  met 
him  upon  my  entrance  into  public  life  here. 

No  man  contributed  more  to  the  pacification  of  this  country 
than  did  Senator  GIBSON,  and  his  usefulness  in  public  life, 
with  all  his  rich  and  varied  endowments,  was  so  much  depend- 
ent upon  the  blessings  of  his  home  life  that  remarks  upon  his 
career  would  be  incomplete  if  they  did  not  embrace  within 
their  scope  the  charming  helpmate  who  graced  his  board  and 
who  aided  him  in  all  the  work  and  relations  of  his  life.  He 
did  not  marry  until  some  time  after  the  war. 

I  remember  being  in  the  city  of  New  York  soon  after  the 
war  and  there  meeting  his  wife,  then  a  school  girl,  recently 
returned  from  France,  and  I  thought  that  my  eyes  had  never 
fallen  upon  a  fairer  or  more  beautiful  vision.  She  was  beauti- 
ful in  person,  pure  and  elevated  in  character,  with  rare  good 
sense  and  perfect  taste.  They  were  thoroughly  congenial, 
and  she  rendered  him  inestimable  service  in  the  exceedingly 
difficult  undertaking  that  he,  one  of  the  representatives  of  a 
proscribed  section,  had  to  perform  in  seeking  to  knit  anew  the 
social  ties,  public  confidence,  and  personal  relations  that  had 
been  severed  by  civil  war. 

Those  labors,  by  reason  of  his  happy  alliance,  by  reason  of 
his  wide  associations  formed  at  Yale,  and  his  fidelity  to  all  the 
friendships  of  his  youth,  as  well  as  by  reason  of  his  own  match- 
less gifts  and  attainments,  he  was  able  to  bring  to  a  successful 
conclusion.  Among  all  my  friends  and  associates  there  is  none 
of  whom  I  could  with  more  sincerity  speak  words  of  admiration 
and  love  than  of  Senator  GIBSON,  to  whose  memory  on  this 
occasion  we  seek  to  do  reverence  and  honor. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  105 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  BLAIR,  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  Mr.  GIBSON  was  a  member  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Congress,  where  I  first  knew  him  as  one  of  the  prominent 
men  whose  superior  abilities  signalized  the  advent  of  the  lead- 
ers of  the  Confederacy  to  the  leadership  of  the  restored  Union. 
That  Congress  witnessed  in  this  Chamber  some  of  the  greatest 
intellectual  and  forensic  contentions  in  the  annals  of  time. 

The  passions  of  the  war  had  not  then  subsided.  The  irrita- 
tions of  the  period  of  reconstruction  had  sharpened  the  ani- 
mosities which  fringed  the  sublimer  emotions  of  the  great 
anterior  struggle.  More  than  ten  years  of  quasi  peace  had 
not  assuaged  them,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  North  and  the 
South  met  here  in  December,  1875,  in  a  mood  for  more  acri- 
monious debate  than  in  December,  1861. 

Everything  which  led  to  the  war  and  which  had  occurred 
during  its  prosecution,  and  subsequent  to  Appomattox,  was 
fresh  in  all  minds  and  ready  to  leap  in  fiery  phrase  of  accusa- 
tion or  defense  from  every  tongue.  Besides  the  past,  there  was 
a  present  and  an  immediate  future  to  be  fashioned  and  molded, 
upon  which  depended  the  domination  of  the  industrial  and 
social  policies  whose  collision  rendered  the  era  now  rapidly 
disappearing  from  the  scene  one  of  the  bloodiest  and  most  dis- 
tinctive in  history. 

Everywhere  it  was  recognized  that  gradually  but  surely  the 
South,  although  vanquished  on  the  battlefield,  was  recovering 
from  her  wounds  and  rising  from  her  ashes  with  her  system  of 
labor  legally  shattered,  yet  really  stronger  and  more  efficient 
than  ever. 

The  old-time  bond  between  the  Democratic  party  in  the  two 
sections  had  not  been  severely  strained  even  in  actual  war. 


106      Address  of  Mr.  Blair,  of  Ne^v  Hampshire,  on  the 

True,  the  inherent  patriotism  of  the  masses  of  the  Northern 
people  had  filled  the  armies  of  the  Union  with  volunteers,  who, 
regardless  of  party,  died  with  equal  devotion  to  the  flag;  but 
the  ideas  and  policies  of  the  antebellum  Democracy  survived 
the  war,  as  they  survive  it  still,  and  there  was  a  natural  resto- 
ration of  unity  in  action  in  that  great  party  as  soon  as  the 
shock  of  battle  ceased. 

The  reconstruction  of  the  Democracy  was  complete  at  the 
surrender,  for  its  unity  of  spirit — never  disturbed  during  the 
war — was  at  once  a  manifestly  perfect  bond  with  the  return  of 
peace.  On  the  other  hand,  the  ideas  and  issues  represented 
by  the  Republican  party  had  no  lodgment  in  the  South,  except 
in  the  hearts  of  vast  but  unintelligent  masses  of  another  and 
helpless  race,  so  that  the  solid  white  population  of  that  great 
section,  reeuforcing  the  Northern  Democracy,  had  rendered 
the  approaching  Presidential  struggle  of  1876  one  of  very 
doubtful  result. 

Both  great  parties  looked  upon  it  as  a  political  Gettysburg, 
and  many  feared  that  it  might  be  succeeded  by  lawless  blood- 
shed, if  not  by  another  outbreak  of  actual  war.  Under  these 
circumstances,  upon  which  the  proprieties  of  the  occasion  will 
not  permit  me  to  dwell  in  further  detail,  it  was  unavoidable 
that  the  great  men  of  the  country,  who  in  larger  numbers 
never  were  present  in  any  Congress  since  the  foundation  of 
the  Government,  should  put  forth  their  utmost  powers,  stirred 
and  stimulated  by  the  strongest  passions,  as  well  as  the  most 
elevated  motives,  emotions,  and  convictions  belonging  to 
human  nature. 

Of  the  great  actors  in  that  drama  who  still  survive  I  say 
nothing,  because  it  is  unfitting  to  transfer  them  to  the  realms 
of  deification  while  we  are  still  blessed  with  their  bodily  pres- 
ence. But  there  were  Blaine  and  Garfield  on  the  one  side. 
On  the  other  were  Hill  and  Lamar.  Many  more  immortal 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  107 

names  in  the  great  galaxy  of  the  departed  might  here  be  men- 
tioned; and  it  is  but  a  just  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  bril- 
liant, polished,  able,  and  beloved  RANDALL,  GIBSON  to  say 
that  he  stood  up  among  those  marvelous  men  as  gallant  and 
courtly  and  chivalrous  and  honorable  and  patriotic  and  pro- 
foundly respected  a  gentleman  as  any  one  of  them  all. 

I  knew  him  thenceforward  until  he  died,  never  intimately, 
but  I  believe  I  always  knew  him  well. 

For  some  four  years  we  sat  side  by  side  in  the  Senate. 

During  all  that  time  I  was  conscious  that  a  superior  being 
was  near;  that  a  spirit  sweet  and  affectionate  and  sensitive 
and  pure,  with  lofty  aspirations,  with  benevolent  and  far- 
reaching  purposes  for  the  improvement  and  blessing  of  others, 
looked  forth  from  those  steadfast  and  penetrating  eyes,  and 
vitalized  with  noble  impulses  the  eloquent  periods  with  which 
he  charmed,  instructed,  and  convinced  the  Senate. 

His  efforts  Avere  rightly,  first,  for  the  people  of  his  then  de- 
vastated and  distracted  State ;  but  the  heart  of  General  GIB- 
SON was  as  large  as  the  whole  country,  and  was  full  of  justice 
and  love  for  us  all.  He  was  one  of  those  to  whom  a  Northern 
man  would  turn  with  confidence  if  he  were  specially  solicitous 
that  the  destinies  of  the  land  should  fall  into  the  possession  of 
those  of  our  Southern  countrymen  who  would  administer  the 
Constitution  and  laws  for  all  sections,  in  the  true  national 
spirit,  and  for  the  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  number,  tem- 
pered with  the  limitation  that  never  shall  the  inalienable  right 
of  the  humblest  and  weakest  be  sacrificed  for  the  benefit  of 
greed  and  power. 

He  knew  that  true  reconstruction  of  the  Union  and  the  per- 
manent existence  of  freedom  and  happiness  depend  upon  uni- 
versal intelligence  and  virtue  among  the  people. 

He  was  identified  with  the  cause  of  education  in  his  own 
State,  as  the  chief  promoter  of  the  great  Tulane  Institution, 


108     Address  of  Mr".  Blair,  of  New  Hampshire,  on  the 

that  great  intellectual  light-house  which  burns  as  a  pillar  of 
fire  for  the  perpetual  illumination  of  the  surpassing  valley  of 
the  American  Nile. 

He  was  profoundly  devoted  to  the  passage  of  the  national 
education  bill,  which  for  many  years  was  the  hope  of  the  com- 
mon people  of  the  South,  and  which,  had  it  not  died,  as  Christ 
died,  by  the  betrayal  of  those  who  pretended  to  be  its  friends, 
would  before  now  have  reconstructed  the  country  upon  rela- 
tions of  equality  and  justice  to  all,  and  made  peace  and  union 
and  prosperity  forever  secure,-  by  establishing  homogeneous 
conditions  everywhere,  giving  to  each  child  of  the  Republic, 
white  and  black,  a  common  school  education  and  a  fair  start 
and  equal  chance  in  the  race  of  life. 

Urging  the  passage  of  this  great  measure,  Mr.  GIBSON  said 
on  the  floor  of  the  Senate: 

uln  my  opinion,  reflecting  men  in  all  parts  of  the  country 
*  *  *  have  formed  the  deliberate  judgment  that  the  educa- 
tion of  the  people,  the  enlightenment  of  the  suffrage,  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  popular  character  and  the  popular  conscience,  the 
awakening  of  a  loftier  and  healthier  sentiment  of  national 
patriotism,  is  absolutely  indispensable  to  the  preservation  of 
constitutional  liberty." 

Noble  words  of  a  patriot,  a  philanthropist,  and  a  sage! 
They  shall  immortalize  thy  name  when  empires  have  fallen 
and  realms  have  decayed! 

Closely  associated  in  their  advocacy  of  the  education  bill, 
his  great  compeer  from  the  same  region  of  the  South,  the 
gifted  and  lamented  Lamar,  exclaimed : 

I  have  watched  it  with  deep  interest  aiid  intense  solicitude.  In  my  opin- 
ion, it  is  the  first  step  and  the  most  important  step  this  Government  has 
ever  taken  in  the  direction  of  the  solution  of  what  is  known  as  the  race 
problem,  and  I  believe  it  will  tell  more  powerfully  and  decisively  upon 
the  future  destinies  of  the  colored  race  than  anv  measure  or  ordinance 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  109 

that  has  yet  been  adopted  in  reference  to  it — more  decisively  than  either 
the  thirteenth,  fourteenth,  or  fifteenth  amendments,  unless  it  is  to  be  con- 
sidered, as  I  do  consider  it,  the  logical  sequence  and  the  practical  contin- 
uance of  those  amendments. 

I  think  that  this  measure  is  fraught  with  almost  unspeakable  benefits 
to  the  entire  population  of  the  South,  white  and  black.  It  will  excite  a 
new  interest  among  our  people;  it  will  stimulate  both  State  and  local 
communities  to  more  energetic  exertions  and  greater  sacrifices,  because  it 
will  encourage  them  in  their  hopes  in  grappling  and  struggling  with  a 
task  before  whose  vast  proportions  they  have  stood  appalled  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  inadequacy  of  their  own  resources  to  meet  it. 

Lamar  was  one  of  the  great  men  of  his  generation.  He  will 
live  in  our  history  as  a  statesman,  an  orator,  a  jurist,  a  dis 
criminating  and  philosophic  student  of  mankind.  But  he 
never  manifested  a  more  powerful  comprehension  of  the  great 
problem  of  our  time  than  is  expressed  in  these  vital  and  elo- 
quent words. 

Men  of  the  South !  the  failure  of  the  educational  bill  was 
your  great  calamity.  Under  its  operation  ten  years  would 
have  accomplished  the  slow  and  doubtful  work  of  a  century 
left  to  be  wrought  by  existing  agencies.  Is  there  no  resurrec- 
tion, and  is  death  an  eternal  sleep?  This  is  the  great  question 
for  the  young  and  rising  South.  You  have  the  power  in  your 
own  hands,  and  you,  not  I,  nor  man  or  men  of  other  sections, 
are  mainly  responsible  for  the  future  now. 

RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON  is  with  us  no  more. 

Born  in  the  South;  educated  in  the  North;  combining  the 
best  qualities  of  both  sections,  and  comparatively  free  from 
the  influence  of  the  weaker  and  lower  elements  of  human 
nature,  he  lived  an  active  and  upright  life;  performed  an 
important  part  upon  a  conspicuous  stage;  in  war  he  was  a 
knight  without  fear  and  without  reproach ;  in  peace  a  useful 
and  honored  citizen,  discharging  public}  duties  with  integrity, 
zeal,  and  ability,  and  always  one  of  God's  true  gentlemen. 


110        Address  of  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Mississippi,  on  the 
He  is  embalmed  in  the  honor  and  love  of  Iris  countrymen ! 

Rest,  spirit,  rest!     Soar,  spirit,  soar! 

Louisiana  will  enshrine  his  memory  with  fadeless  and  per- 
petual flowers;  the  incense  of  her  gratitude  will  ascend  until 
the  last  drop  of  the  Mississippi  has  rolled  by  Iris  grave  on  its 
way  to  the  sea;  and  it  is  well  that  he  sleep  among  those  who 
knew  him  best,  and  therefore  loved  him  most,  until  the  resur- 
rection. But  I  do  know  of  eyes  among  the  far  hills  of  the 
North  that  will  weep  for  him,  and  of  oue  heart  that  will  beat 
more  quickly  at  the  sound  of  his  name  until  itself  shall  throb 
no  more. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  HOOKER,  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  The  very  able  and  exhaustive  address  whicli 
has  been  delivered  on  the  life  and  character  of  my  friend, 
General  RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON,  by  his  colleague  from  the  city 
of  New  Orleans,  General  MEYER,  makes  it  almost  unnecessary, 
I  think,  to  say  anything  in  the  line  in  which  he  spoke,  for  he 
has  portrayed  in  truthful  colors  the  life  and  character  of  the 
great  representative  from  Louisiana  on  this  floor  and  on  the 
floor  of  the  Senate- 
Mr.  Speaker,  in  1875,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Forty-fourth 
Congress,  there  appeared  in  this  Hall  one  of  the  most  marked 
men  who  has  occupied  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
since  the  close  of  the  war  between  the  States.  He  was  of  the 
marked  Anglo-Saxon  type  of  men;  blue  eyes,  radiant  with 
expression ;  light  hair,  features  perfectly  chiseled,  with  a  smile 
that  won  all  hearts,  and  yet  an  expression  about  the  mouth  in 
moments  of  earnestness  which  showed  of  what  metal  he  was 
made.  Tall  of  form,  slender  in  proportions,  with  a  scrupulous 
neatness  in  apparel  which  challenged  the  eye  of  the  critic,  with 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  Ill 

a  dignified,  courteous,  and  gracious  bearing,  lie  drew  to  him 
all  eyes  and  won  the  admiration  of  his  colleagues  in  this  Hall. 
That  man  Avas  RANDALL  LEE  GIBBON,  a  Representative  from 
the  State  of  Louisiana. 

For  what  I  am  about  to  say  in  reference  to  his  birth,  lineage, 
and  his  military  career,  and  the  services  which  he  rendered  as  a 
legislator  in  this  Hall,  and  the  other  branch  of  Congress,  I  ain 
largely  indebted  to  the  pen  of  his  kinsman,  that  gallant  states- 
man, American  soldier,  and  American  gentleman,  the  Hon. 
Preston  Johnston,  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  who  was  his  life- 
time friend;  himself  the  son  of  the  great  Albert  Sidney  John- 
ston, so  memorable  for  his  services  in  the  Confederate  war. 

T  well  remember  the  occasion  which  I  now  refer  to.  When 
he  was  suffering  from  one  of  those  hereditary  attacks  to  which 
my  friend  General  MEYER  has  referred,  it  became  his  duty,  by 
invitation  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  to  make  an 
address  at  the  unveiling  of  the  equestrian  statue  of  Albert 
Sidney  Johnston.  I  chanced  to  be  present  by  invitation  on  that 
occasion,  as  I  had  been  honored  by  the  citizens  of  Louisiana  in 
making  the  address  when  the  corner  stone  of  that  equestrian 
statue  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  was  laid.  General  GIBSON, 
on  that  occasion,  rose  from  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  when  he 
ascended  the  platform  to  address  the  vast  multitude  that  had 
come  to  do  honor  to  the  memory  of  the  great  soldier  he  went 
upon  that  platform  on  his  crutches,  suffering  intense  physical 
pain,  and  supported  himself  on  those  crutches  during  the 
discourse. 

He  delivered  an  address  that  thrilled  every  heart,  and  awoke 
the  admiration  of  all  the  confederates  of  the  dead  general  whom 
they  had  come  to  honor,  the  soldiers  in  blue  vieing  with  those 
in  gray  who  should  strew  the  first  flowers.  And  I  hope  the 
same  gifted  pen  which  has  portrayed  his  character,  life,  and 
services  as  a  Confederate  general  may  yet  be  used,  in  the  midst 


112        Address  of  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Mississippi,  on  the 

even  of  the  busy  and  useful  life  of  Colonel  Preston  Johnston, 
to  give  not  only  to  the  State  of  Louisiana,  but  to  the  country 
and.  to  humanity,  a  history  of  RANDALL  LEE  GIBSON,  a 
biography  of  him,  which  no  man  can  write  as  Colonel  Preston 
Johnston  could  write  it.  It  is  to  him  I  am  indebted  for 
knowledge  of  his  origin,  family  history,  and  his  military 
services. 

General  GIBSON  was  born  at  Spring  Hill,  Woodford  County, 
Ky.,  September  10,  1832.  His  ancestors  were  the  fighting 
Whigs  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  John  Gibson,  the  progenitor 
of  the  Gibson  family  in  America,  emigrated  from  England  in 
1706,  accompanied  by  several  brothers,  and  settled  in  Middle- 
sex County,  Va.  They  afterward  removed  to  South  Carolina 
and  settled  on  the  Great  Peedee  River  with  their  kinsmen, 
the  Murfees,  Saunders,  Harrisons,  and  Pegues. 

They  all  took  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  at 
its  close  the  grandfather  of  General  GIBSON,  Randall  Gibson, 
settled  in  Mississippi,  at  Oakley,  in  Warren  County.  His 
descendants  and  connections  embrace  some  of  the  best  known 
families  in  the  southwest — the  Harrisons,  Nailors,  Stewarts, 
Gillespies,  Barneses,  Humphreys,  Booths,  Marshalls,  Hig- 
ginses,  Brands,  and  others,  all  men  of  influence  and  mark  in 
the  day  and  time  in  which  they  lived.  Randall  Gibson,  the 
grandfather  of  General  GIBSON,  built  the  first  church  and 
founded  the  first  institution  of  learning  (Jefferson  College,  8 
miles  back  of  Natchez)  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

Randall  Gibson's  son,  Tobias  Gibson,  the  father  of  our  de- 
ceased friend,  General  GIBSON,  settled  in  Terre  Bonne  Parish, 
La.  He  was  a  man  of  rank  and  influence  in  his  day;  the  close 
personal  and  political  friend  of  Henry  Clay,  whom  he  often 
entertained  at  his  princely  summer  residence,  near  Lexing- 
ton, Ky. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.          113 

Tobias  Gibson  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  proud, 
courtly,  and  fastidious,  but  hospitable  and  kind. 

Through  his  mother's  family,  the  Harts,  General  GIBSON 
was  connected  with  some  of  the  most  noted  families  of  Ken- 
tucky— the  Clays,  the  Bentons,  the  Prestons,  the  Marshalls, 
and  others  of  equal  distinction. 

General  GIBSON  was  the  eldest  son  of  Tobias  Gibson,  and 
his  schoolboy  days  were  spent  in  Kentucky,  where  he  has  a 
host  of  friends,  who  will  cherish  his  name  and  memory  with  a 
love  as  tender  and  an  admiration  as  sincere  as  that  of  the 
friends  of  his  own  State  of  Louisiana,  which  he  represented  on 
this  floor.  In  1849  General  GIBSON  entered  Yale  College. 
He  took  high  rank  in  his  classes,  being  selected  orator  by  his 
society,  and  shared  the  honors  of  the  class  of  1853  with  E. 
C.  Stedman,  the  poet,  and  A.  D.  White,  the  educator. 

General  GIBSON  studied  law  in  New  Orleans,  and  was  grad- 
uated at  the  university  in  1855.  He  went  abroad  and  spent 
three  years  in  Europe,  studying  in  Berlin,  visiting  Russia,  and 
being  for  six  months  attached  to  the  American  legation  at 
Madrid,  when  we  were  represented  at  that  court  by  General 
A.  C.  Dodge,  a  high  type  of  an  American  gentleman. 

Returning  from  his  educational  trip  abroad,  shortly  before 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  States,  General  GIB- 
SON pursued  the  practice  of  law  until  that  event  occurred. 

When  the  war  began  General  GIBSON  enlisted  as  a  private, 
and  was  appointed  captain  of  artillery,  and  stationed  at  Fort 
Jackson,  below  New  Orleans.  Soon  after  he  was  elected  colonel 
of  the  Thirteenth  Louisiana  Infantry. 

His  first  great  battle  was  at  Shiloh.     Four  regiments  were 

brigaded  together  and  General  GIBSON  was  selected  by  his 

brother  officers  to  command  the  brigade,  which  played  a  gallant 

and  conspicuous  part  in  the  great  battle.     His  brigade  was 

S.  Mis.  178 8 


114        Address  of  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Mississippi,  on  the 

four  times  repulsed  with  great  slaughter  at  the  "Hornet's 
Nest,"  but  it  was  in  the  front  line  at  sunset,  and  was  distin- 
guished in  the  fighting  next  day  under  Gen.  Polk,  which  Gen. 
Sherman  pronounced  the  heaviest  fire  during  the  war. 

General  GIBSON  was  with  Bragg's  army  in  the  Kentucky 
campaign,  and  was  recommended  by  his  superior  officers  for 
promotion  for  " skill  and  gallantry"  at  Perry ville,  Murfrees- 
boro,  and  Chickamauga.  He  lost  one-third  of  his  brigade 
killed  and  wounded  at  Murfreesboro 5  out  of  28  officers  of  the 
Thirteenth  Louisiana,  he  lost  19,  and  332  men  killed  and 
wounded. 

His  service  was  long  and  continuous  in  all  the  Western 
campaigns,  and  received  the  cordial  commendation  of  his 
superior  officers,  including  such  illustrious  names  as  Polk, 
Hardee,  John  C.  Breckinridge,  Cheathain,  Dan  Adams,  Maury, 
Preston,  Stephen  Lee,  Richard  Taylor,  J.  E.  Johnston,  and 
Hood.  Gen  John  C.  Breckinridge  said  of  him  at  the  battle  of 
Murfreesboro : 

He  discharged  his  duties  with  marked  courage  and  skill. 

General  H.  D.  Clayton,  in  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Jones- 
boro,  Ga.,  31st  of  August,  1864,  says: 

Brigadier-General  GIBSON,  seizing  the  colors  of  one  of  his  regiments, 
dashed  to  the  front  ar^d  to  the  very  works  of  the  enemy.  His  conduct 
created  the  greatest  enthusiasm  throughout  the  command.  This  gallant 
brigade  lost  half  its  numbers. 

Clayton  adds: 

My  own  eyes  bore  witness  to  its  splendid  conduct  from  the  beginning 
to  the  close.  It  captured  the  guns  of  the  enemy  and  occupied  their  main 
works  until  overwhelming  and  increasing  numbers  forced  their  abandon- 
ment. It  was  handled  with  skill,  and  fought  with  the  heroism  of  des- 
peration. 

General  Stephen  D.  Lee,  speaking  of  GIBSON'S  brigade,  says:  "I  saw 
them  around  Atlanta  and  in  Hood's  Nashville  campaign,  and  I  know  that, 
in  consultation  with  Major-General  Clayton,  I  designated  GIBSON'S  bri- 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.          115 

gade  to  cross  the  Tennessee  River,  in  open  boats,  in  the  presence  of  the 
enemy,  opposite  Florence,  Ala.,  and  a  more  gallant  crossing  of  any  river  was 
not  made  during  the  war.  The  enemy  was  supposed  to  be  in  large  force, 
covered  by  the  banks,  but  GIBSON  and  his  men  never  inquired  as  to  num- 
bers when  they  were  ordered  for  \vard,  and  their  gallant  bearing  soon  put  the 
enemy's  sharpshooters  to  flight  and  secured  a  good  crossing  for  two  divisions 
of  my  corps.  At  Nashville,  when  Hood  was  defeated  by  Thomas,  GIBSON'S 
brigade  of  my  corps  was  conspicuously  posted  on  the  left  of  the  pike  near 
Overton  Hill,  and  I  witnessed  their  driving  back,  with  the  rest  of  Clayton's 
division,  two  formidable  assaults  of  the  enemy.  *  *  *  I  recollect,  near 
dark,  riding  up  to  a  brigade  near  a  battery  and  trying  to  seize  a  stand  of 
colors  and  lead  the  brigade  against  the  enemy.  The  color  bearer  refused 
to  give  up  his  colors,  and  was  sustained  by  his  regiment.  I  found  it  was 
the  color- bearer  of  the  Thirteenth  Louisiana,  and  it  was  GIBSON'S  Louis- 
iana brigade.  GIBSON  soon  appeared  by  my  side,  and  in  my  admiration  of 
such  conduct,  I  exclaimed,  '  GIBSON,  those  are  the  best  men  I  ever  saw; 
you  take  them  and  check  the  enemy.'  GIBSON  did  lead  them  and  did  check 
the  enemy." 

In  General  Canby's  campaign  against  Mobile,  General  GIB- 
SON was  detached  from  the  main  army  and,  with  a  force  of 
3,500  men,  held  the  enemy  in  check  for  over  two  weeks.  The 
fighting  was  fast  and  furious  from  beginning  to  end.  General 
C.  C.  Andrews,  the  Federal  historian  of  the  campaign,  says: 
"The  garrison  made  at  least  a  dozen  sorties,  several  of  which 
were  successful."  At  last,  when  General  Canby  broke  through 
his  defenses,  GIBSON  prolonged  the  fight  until  night  and  then 
withdrew  the  garrison  under  cover  of  darkness  along  a  nar- 
row treadway,  only  18  inches  wide,  through  the  marsh.  Gen- 
eral Andrews,  in  his  history,  says : 

The  garrison  commander,  General  GIBSON,  was  competent  and  active, 
and  inspired  his  troops  with  enthusiasm.  He  was  highly  complimented 
by  his  superior  officers  for  his  conduct  during  the  siege. 

General  Richard  Taylor,  commanding  the  department,  was  so  pleased 
with  GIBSON'S  conduct  at  Spanish  Fort  that  he  enlarged  his  command. 
But  the  war  was  at  an  end,  surrender  came  and  he  was  now  appointed  by 
Taylor  the  commissioner  to  meet  the  Federal  officers  to  parole  the  army. 


116        Address  of  Mr.  Hooker,  <of  Mississippi,  on  the 

In  his  farewell  address  to  his  troops  GIBSON  says:  "  Yonr  banners  are  gar- 
landed with  the  emblems  of  every  soldiery  virtue;  more  than  twenty 
battlefields  have  seen  them  unfurled;  they  were  never  lowered  save  over 
the  bier  of  a  comrade.  Comrades!  henceforth  other  duties  will 

devolve  upon  you.  Adversities  caii  only  strengthen  the  ties  that  bind  you 
to  your  country  and  increase  the  obligations  you  owe  to  her  interests  and 
her  honor.  As  soldiers  you  have  Iseen  among  the  bravest  and  most  stead- 
fast; as  citizens  be  lawabiding,  peaceable,  and  industrious." 

Thus  ended,  with  the  close  of  the  war,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  military  records  made  by  any  general  of  the  Con- 
federate army. 

In  1872  his  fellow-citizens  in  Louisiana  selected  him  as  a 
man  possessing  rare  judgment  and  great  coolness  and  high 
and  patriotic  conservatism  to  represent  them  in  this  House. 

He  was  not  permitted  to  take  his  seat. 

In  1874  he  was  again  elected  to  a  seat  in  this  House;  and  it 
was  here  I  first  met  General  GIBSON,  and  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore I  learned  to  love  him  for  those  sterling  traits  of  character 
which  he  displayed  and  for  that  uniform  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness it  was  ever  his  delight  to  extend  to  his  colleagues  and 
comrades. 

General  GIBSON  was  reelected  as  a  Representative  to  this 
House  in  1874,  and  again  in  1876,  1878,  and  1880;  and  in  all 
his  service  in  this  House  I  had  the  honor  to  serve  with  him. 

General  GIBSON,  with  the  able  colleagues  who  served  with 
him  from  Louisiana,  addressed  themselves  primarily  to  obtain 

the  removal  of  the  military  forces  of  the  United  States  from 

i 
their  State,  and  after  long  delay  and  much  vexation  this  was 

accomplished,  and  Louisiana  was  once  more  restored  to  her 
civil  rights  in  the  Union. 

One  of  the  subjects  to  which  General  GIBSON  at  an  early  day 
in  his  Congressional  service  addressed  himself  was  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Mississippi  Ktver.  Indeed,  he  may  be  justly  said 
to  be  the  father  of  the  Mississippi  lliver  Commission,  which 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  117 

was  and  still  is  composed  of  the  best  engineers  from  the  Army 
of  the  United  Sta.tes  and  from  civil  life.  The  fruits  of  the 
labor  and  skill  of  this  Commission  are  now  being  enjoyed  by 
the  people  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  in  comparative  exemption 
from  the  disastrous  floods  which  formerly  devastated  this  the 
most  fertile  valley  of  the  world.  In  recognition  of  his  legisla- 
tive services  in  these  and  other  measures  of  equal  importance, 
in  which  he  displayed  powers  of  reason  and  research  and 
eloquence  not  surpassed  by  any  man  who  served  at  that  time 
in  Congress,  the  people  who  knew  him  best  and  prized  him 
most,  his  beloved  citizens  of  Louisiana,  elected  him  to  the 
United  States  Senate.  He  took  his  seat  in  March,  1883. 

His  native  ability,  his  splendid  education,  his  long  service  of 
eight  years  in  the  House  fully  equipped  him  for  entrance  into 
that  august  body. 

He  sprang  into  the  arena  of  high  debate,  armed  cap-a-pie  for 
the  conflict. 

His  comrades  and  peers  in  the  Senate  learned  to  love  this 
splendid  and  pure  man,  as  we  did  in  the  House,  and  it  is  fit  and 
proper  that  I  should  leave  his  Senatorial  career  to  be  spoken 
of  in  suitable  terms  by  his  friends  and  colleagues  in  that  body. 

He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  character.  Xo  duty  in  life  was 
neglected,  and  no  obligation  but  that  was  faithfully  met. 

As  a  man  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  as  a  citizen,  as  a  soldier, 
as  a  representative,  he  had  few  peers  and  no  superiors. 

There  was  not  a  blemish,  not  a  spot,  on  what  seemed  to  me 
to  be  a  perfect  character. 

He  died  in  the  fullness  of  his  useful  manhood  and  honored 
life,  leaving  to  his  descendants  and  kindred  and  friends  a  name 
beloved  by  those  tied  to  him  by  the  ties  of  kindred  and  con- 
nection and  friends,  and  honored  of  all  men  who  know  his  life 
and  services  to  his  country. 

I  have  thus,  Mr.  Speaker,  endeavored  to  portray  in  a  few 


118        Address  of  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Mississippi,  on  the 

remarks  the  history  aud  career  of  our  distinguished  friend,  to 
whom  we  meet  here  to-day  to  pay  the  last  sad  honor.  It  is 
natural  that  we  should  refer  to  the  services  which  he  rendered 
to  the  Confederate  soldiers,  though  when  he  came  into  this 
Hall  and  the  Senate  Chamber  he  manifested  a  conservatism  of 
disposition  which  won  for  him  not  only  the  hearts  and  affec- 
tions of  men  of  his  own  party  but  of  all.  It  is  natural  that  we 
should  erect  monuments  to  those  who  have  served  us  with  the 
distinction  which  such  men  as  GIBSON  did.  The  soldiers  of  the 
Union  armies  have  erected  upon  the  battlefields  monuments 
declaring  the  valor  and  heroism,  the  courage  and  patriotism 
of  the  men  who  led  the  Union  armies. 

That  same  spirit  and  temper  which  prompt  them  to  honor 
their  dead  lead  them  to  say,  sir,  that  it  is  but  proper  that 
those  who  belonged  to  what  is  called  "  The  lost  cause,"  and 
who  wore  the  Confederate  gray  during  the  war  would  be 
equally  unfaithful  to  their  duty  if  they  did  not  on  appropriate 
occasions  erect  monuments  and  pay  tribute  to  their  dead. 
They  would  write  over  our  graves  not  alone  the  word  "  rebel," 
as  was  done  at  one  time  in  Arlington,  but  which  I  am  glad  to 
say  now  has  been  removed — they  would  not  write  the  word 
"  rebel "  over  the  graves  of  Confederates,  for  that  is  a  term 
which  George  Washington  wore  and  Kobert  E.  Lee  honored; 
and  it  is  naught  therefore  but  proper  that  the  use  of  this  term 
with  reference  to  distinguished  Confederates  should  be  in  the 
same  spirit  in  which  it  distinguished  the  love  of  liberty  in  our 
Revolutionary  war  and  all  others.  They  would  scratch  out 
the  word  "  rebel"  if  we  should  forget  their  services,  and  prop- 
erly write  there  "Ingrate!  In  grate!  Ingrate!"  could  we  for- 
get the  perils  encountered,  the  hardships  endured,  the  blood- 
shed for  us  by  the  men  who  wore  the  ragged  gray  jacket  of 
the  Confederacy. 


Life  and  Character  of  Randall  Lee  Gibson.  119 

Xo,  sirs;  while  faithful  memory  lasts  its  magic  wand  will 
wave  over  the  chill  vaults  of  the  sepulcher — the  dead  nation's 
sepulcher— her  hundred  battlefields;  and  the  dead  will  start 
again  into  life,  pale,  pallid,  passionless  as  the  seraphs.  Indeed, 
and  in  truth,  in  the  arms  of  our  fancy,  may  we  again  embrace 
those  dear  departed  comrades  who,  while  they  lived,  lived  for 
us  and  for  their  country,  and  when  they  perished  poured  out 
their  rich  young  life's  blood  on  that  country's  altar;  and  as 
their  pale  lips  froze  in  death  on  many  a  distant  battlefield  their 
last  syllabled  utterances  perchance  murmured  our  names. 

Xo,  Mr.  Speaker;  we  could  not  forget  them  if  we  would, 
and  we  would  not  if  we  could. 

Of  all  this  vast  throng  of  the  dead,  lying  in  their  unmarked 
graves  under  the  green  sod,  where  in  the  springtime  we  strew 
the  flowers  of  faithful  memory,  no  braver  soldier  or  purer 
spirit  or  truer  man  lies  than  our  honored,  loved,  and  cherished 
comrade,  BAND  ALL  LEE  GIBSON. 

THE  SPEAKER.  In  pursuance  of  the  resolution  which  has 
been  adopted  the  House  stands  adjourned  until  Monday  next. 


DATE  DUE 


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